By
Francis Cofie, GNA
Accra, Dec 12, GNA –
Reverend Emmanuel Teiman Barrigah, the General Secretary of the Ghana
Pentecostal and Charismatics Council has called on the government to support
private tertiary institutions by, paying the tuition fees for their students as
was being done for public universities.
He said graduates in
private universities, bore every cost of their education, yet they were
mandated to do National Service just like their counterparts, who studied in
the public universities, to contribute to the development and growth of the
country’s economy.
Rev Barrigah made
the call at the 20th matriculation and 17th congregation
ceremony of the Methodist University College Ghana (MUCG) at Dansoman in Accra.
At the function, a
total of 1,001 students were graduated from various levels of the three
faculties of the university.
They comprised 185
Masters, 710 Bachelors, 104 Diplomas and two certificates.
Rev Barrigah said
one thing created difficulty for students to apply for admission to private
universities was the high tuition and other fees the private universities
charge, which seemed to be too expensive for students from low-income homes.
He said the
condition placed a huge barrier on the way of students who wanted to enter into
the private tertiary institutions.
The General
Secretary said the high tuition of the private universities was because they
have to meet overhead costs in their day-to-day operations, while government
paid the tuition fees of students entering the state institutions.
Touching on the
Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE), Rev Barrigah urged Christians to
strongly resist and stand firmly against all efforts by any government to
legalise homosexuality in the country, saying; “The uproar that greeted the
introduction of the CSE is indicative of what should be expected if any attempt
is made by forces whether internally or externally to impose the policy on us.”
Professor Akwasi Asabere-Ameyaw,
the President of MUCG said the world was confronted with challenges of poverty,
diseases and ignorance and advised the fresh students to read beyond what they
would be taught and research into relevant issues that would help solve
problems.
He said the
university was faced with low student numbers, which had had a toll on its
finances and attributed it to over 100 private universities who struggled for
admissions with the public universities.
“The financial
stress on the private universities is also compounded by the huge sums of
monies they had to pay to their mentor institutions and the regulatory bodies,”
Prof Asabere-Ameyaw pointed out.
He said there was
the need to introduce cutting-edge programmes, which would attract more
students into the private universities, adding; “it is for this reason that our
Faculty of Entrepreneurship and Education has mounted programmes in
Entrepreneurship and Education.”
Most Rev Dr Paul
Boafo, the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church Ghana and Chairman of the
Methodist University College Council, said the Methodist Church Ghana as a
major stakeholder in the provision of quality education supported the
government’s Free Senior High School Policy.
He said the Council
was ready to partner the government to address whatever challenges that would
come as a result of the many students that would be seeking admission into
tertiary institutions.
Prof Ebenezer Oduro
Owusu, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana said as a mentoring
institution, it would continue to provide the needed support to the MUCG to
deliver quality education.
Prof Joseph Ghartey
Ampiah, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast said the
institution was ready to mentor any programme of the MUCG and encouraged it to
introduce programmes that would make students ready for the job market.
“We would soon
consider having a partnership with MUCG regarding admissions,” he added.
GNA
