Professor Jophus Anamuah-Mensah, the Chairman of JAYEE University College Governing Council, has called for government’s support for partnership between industry, private and public tertiary institutions and the community.
He said government could do so through the use of steering mechanism that would help raise the issues of entrepreneurship and job creation.
“A new era of relationship between the public and private institutions needs to be forged, for the needs of the country to be prioritised,”he said.
Prof Anamuah-Mensah made call at the eighth congregation of the JAYEE University College (JUC) held in Accra on Saturday.
He said national development could not take place without the participation of the private sector, and so there was the need for both public and private institutions to be regulated in the same accreditation and quality assurance standards.
“At the tertiary level, there are 202 accredited tertiary institutions, out of which 107 are privately owned.
“These private institutions enroll about 20 per cent of tertiary students, a big savings for government, even with this contribution made by institutions, the participation rate is only 14 per cent, this is too low for a country with increasing youth bulge,” he said.
Prof Anamuah-Mensah also expressed dissatisfaction about how majority of the youth within the ages of 18-22 were not in tertiary education.
He therefore called for effective ways in addressing the problem especially with the coming into force of the free Senior High School (SHS) where more tertiary institutional structures would be required for the first batch of the new SHS graduates for the 2020/2021 academic year.
He urged the graduands to go out and positively affect society by making exploits and add to the gains of those before them.
“Bring dignity and honour to your alma mater and our country Ghana, but note that your contribution to the nation will be more effective if you go about your duties with dedication, honesty and high moral standards devoid of corruption,” he advised.
Speaking on the theme: “The Role of the Private University in National Capacity Building”, Prof Emmanuel Nicholas Abakah, the President of JUC, said it would be highly appropriate for government to set up a committee to look into the predicaments of private universities and come up with best strategies to help them have the capacity to employ a number of unemployed youth.
He pleaded with the University of Education Winneba (UEW) to raise its mentorship bar to support JUC.
He advised the graduands to ride elegantly on the crest wave of the improved training they had acquired as the competition out there was stiff and it was often the creative and the talented that gain the upper hand.
Addressing graduands, the Pro-Vice Chancellor of the UEW, Prof Anthony Afful-Broni, said University would continue to partner JUC for future capacity building in order to meet the expected demand for the nation’s educational needs.
“The University of Education, Winneba is committed to making an impact on the country’s educational system and I assure you of our continued support for JAYEE University College as we nurture you to excel,” he said.
He appealed to Members of Parliament, companies both private and public, financial institutions, firms and Municipal District Assemblies to wholeheartedly open their doors to accept interns of JUC in their organisations to practically experience what they were taught in school as that would enable students to assiduously contribute to the growth of the nation.
He however advised the graduands to be relevant to themselves and society through the nurturing and knowledge acquired over the years of their studies.
Mr Emmanuel Donkoh, the Founder of JUC announced that phase one of the Cape Coast campus was ready for academic activities.
He said: “The Cape Coast campus is going to be a starting point for graduate studies as well as general studies for students with D7-F9 in WASSCE results to better their grades before enrolling to the various tertiary institutions of their choice”.
In all a total 364 students from the 2015 and 2016 batches graduated.
Out of the number, 112 were males with the remaining 252 being females.
The 2015 batch was made up of 138 graduates, 51 non-graduates adding up to 189.
Out of the 364 graduands, the Faculty of Business Administration graduated 194 students whilst the Faculty of Communication Science had 170 graduands.
Madam Evelyn Buenor, a Business Administration student with specialisation in Human Resource Management was adjudged the overall best student.
The day was also used to matriculate 179 fresh students for the 2016/2017 academic year.
Out of the total number for the 10th matriculation, 102 would be reading Communication science whilst the remaining 77 would pursue Business Administration. The matricalates were led by Ms Joyce Eku Wilson Tagoe to swear the matriculation oath.
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