4,737 Graduate At Legon 2009 Congregation

By Edmund Mingle & Kingsley Asare
Monday, 16 March 2009

A total of 4,737 students graduated in various fields of study from the University of Ghana, Legon at the 2009 Congregation on Saturday.
The number consisted of 351 diplomates, 4,135 undergraduates and 251 post graduates which included four doctoral graduates.
Mrs. Elizabeth Mills-Robertson, the acting Inspector General of Police, was among the graduates, graduating in Executive Master of Business Administration (Human Resource Management).
Speaking at the ceremony, President John Evans Atta Mills gave the assurance that the government would commit more resources towards providing quality tertiary education in the country.
He reiterated that there was no better way of investing in people than to give them quality education, and in providing quality education, "the cycle will never be complete minus quality tertiary education.
He maintained that the government, with its social democratic background, did not believe in full cost recovery at the tertiary level pointing out that tertiary education was critical in developing skilled human resource, as well as building research centres to advance the growth of all sectors of the economy.
"Indeed, the training, research, extension, and service functions of the university are intertwined and collectively significant for our national development and my administration will ensure that, to the extent possible, adequate financial and material resources are provided to optimally support tertiary education and research," he said.
President Mills gave the assurance that the government would improve the education sector by addressing the management inefficiencies and bottlenecks that affect equity and quality in the educational system.
"We will also critically examine the utilisation practices and processes of the GETFund, to improve efficiency and ensure that the fund is used for its stipulated objectives," he said.
He commended the university, where he had taught for over two decades, for the leadership role it continued to play in the provision of tertiary education in Ghana and beyond, and pledged the government’s support to undertake infrastructural projects in the university in a timely manner.
Education, he said, was on top of government’s priority list as it forges ahead in building a better Ghana, adding that the working conditions for teachers would be significantly improved.
"Government believes teachers deserve better than we have given them as a nation, and my administration is working hard to ensure that educators from primary school to university are given their due," he said.
He congratulated the graduating students on their achievements, and urged them to "position themselves properly and positively so that their full potentials could be tapped," and promised to do his best to give more opportunities to the youth.
Dr. Kofi Annan ,Chancellor of the University of Ghana, in his remarks, called for increased investment in education so as to provide quality education to the citizens.
Dr. Annan, who was the immediate Secretary-General of the United Nations, said it was pleasing that the President in his state of the nation address singled out the education sector for special attention and as well pleasing that most Ghanaians, irrespective of their political persuasion, had agreed that the surest path to development for the nation was through education.
He commended the university for the role it was playing to give quality tertiary education to majority of people and supplying the highest level of manpower of the country.
"By this record, University of Ghana has earned an enviable place in the league of universities in Africa and is recognised worldwide," he said, and added that he was proud to be its Chancellor.
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Clifford Nii Boi Tagoe, in his report, called on the government to expedite action on the passage of the University of Ghana Act, to enable "us see the full impact of the Visitation Panel Report," which he said, could not be implemented due to the non-passage of the University of Ghana Act.
The Visitation Report outlines the revised composition of the University Council, student representation on key statutory boards and committees, as well as restructuring of the university’s financial administration.
Professor Tagoe said to bring university education to the doorsteps of the citizens, the university had introduced Distance Education Programme and said the response had been positive.
The Distance Education Programme was a viable alternative means to people desirous of pursuing university education, he said, adding its introduction meant that "we are now able to offer a much larger number of young people the opportunity to access university education."
Professor Tagoe announced that approval had been given for the establishment of a Ghana Cocoa Board Chair, a programme to promote education in agriculture.
He said the Board has provided 500,000 dollars for the start of an endowment fund for the programme which is expected to begin in August, this year.
On infrastructure, the Vice-Chancellor appealed to the government and corporate bodies to help the univserty to complete on-going projects and initiate new ones.
Emmanuel Nii-Boye Quarshie, representative of the graduating students, entreated his colleagues to work with truth and integrity wherever they found themselves.
He also advised them to volunteer their skills, knowledge and strength to help transform the society.