With its main aim of having a viable center for higher education in technology, which fits into the objective of leveraging on innovation technology to drive socio-economic development, the government couldn’t withstand the temptation of changing the Ghana Technology University College (GTUC) into a public university.
Parliament is currently considering a bill which will transform GTUC into a fully-fledged public university.
The Bill, when passed into a law, would also ensure that the university is positioned as a viable center for higher education in Information Communication Technology (ICT).
However, the Speaker of Parliament, Prof Aaron Michael Oquaye, has cautioned the university not to turn into a liberal arts college, but focus on its core mandate, which is ICT.
He said it should be a university that will be fully in charge of ICT.
“We have to spell out its core mandate well, so that it doesn’t turn into a liberal arts college.
“We have to make it very clear that it’s a university for ICT, and, of course, we know that ICT is the future, so there should be no apologies at all.”
He also added that it shouldn’t only award degrees, but also diploma certificates should be included, and said doing this “will go a long way to help the country, with regards to avoiding regulating and controlling the proliferation of institutions of ICT.
“These days, when you ask any young man who is not doing anything, what are you doing, I am doing ICT.
“We want this university to take charge of the ICT institution.”
The Speaker made the remarks while the Minister of Education passed a motion for the Bill to be read the second time.
The bill was introduced in Parliament and read first on Wednesday March 11, 2020.
In accordance with Article 106 (4) and (5) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana and Standing Order 186 of Parliament, the bill was referred to the Committee on Education for consideration by the Speaker, Prof Aaron Michael Oquaye.
The Committee on Education, together with the relevant resource persons in the education ministry, subsequently met to work on the bill
Currently, the university is affiliated to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and University of Professional Studies.
It has also signed various agreements with international partners to pursue it goal of becoming a higher educational institution in ICT.
However, the committee observed that a university with a focus on ICT would produce a skillful workforce that would help speed-up the productivity gains of the country, hence, the need to make it a fully-fledged public tertiary university.
The Committee noted that the significance of a university providing the requisite manpower needs for the socio-economic development of every nation cannot be overemphasised.
Commenting on the committee’s report, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, Minority Leader in Parliament, also declared his support for the bill.
However, he also prayed that the university would not drift from its primary mandate of IT-related training and grooming of young people as its mandates have been clearly spelt out.
He also added that “we should also narrow their aims so that they don’t come and say they want to introduce marketing, law and other studies.”
The post Don’t turn into a liberal arts college Speaker cautions GTUC as it moves to become a public university appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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