The Head of the Civil Service, Dr Evans Aggrey-Darkoh, has disclosed that Ghana has a total of 109 private universities that are complementing efforts by the government to provide higher quality tertiary education, which is the cornerstone for national development.
Quoting Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), he said the number of students enrolled in public universities in Ghana in the 2022/23 academic year was 422,583 whilst the private ones enrolled was 69,629.
Dr.Aggrey-Darkoh disclosed this at the 9th graduation and matriculation ceremony of the Christ Apostolic University College (CAUC) in Kumasi, over the weekend.
The ceremony was under the theme:“Delivering the Public Good; Government, Private University Partnership in Tertiary Education”. About 243 students graduated with degrees, diplomas and certificates.
The upsurge in higher educational institutions, he told the function, indicated the significant role private universities are playing in bridging the tertiary education gap.
‘Tertiary Education is essential for National Development. It is a cornerstone of national development. It equips individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary to innovate, solve complex problems and drive economic growth. Indeed, education at the highest level equips individuals with the requisite tools to think.”
Touching on the theme of the event, Dr. Evans Aggrey-Darkoh underscored that the public and private universities have a common goal in developing the human capital base of the country.
“I must say, government and private universities share a common goal – to provide quality education as espoused in SDG four. Through partnerships, we can increase access to education, foster innovation and research, develop skilled workforce, enhance academic excellence and promote social mobility and stability”, he said.
He noted that the private universities had challenges and chief among them are access, enhancing educational quality, fostering innovation and research, creating employment opportunities, attracting investment, developing human capital, and promoting global competitiveness.
Earlier, the Chancellor of CAUC, Apostle Samuel Frimpong, implored the graduating students to be resilient. He also charged them to step out of their comfort zones and acquire new skills.
“Step out of your comfort zone, learn new skills, unlearn old ones, and relearn. These are necessary if you are to stand out in the workforce. Explore new fields like entrepreneurship and do not rely solely on the government for employment. God is always ready to bless every effort you put into creating your own work.”
Apostle Frimpong reminded the students that employers are on the lookout for soft skills in addition to their academic qualifications
He urged them to acquire skills such as creativity, good communication skills, problem solving and complex thinking abilities among others.
“As you enter the workforce, challenges will arise, but you must be determined to overcome them. Employers today look beyond what is written on paper. Often, you will be asked why you should be hired during job interviews.”
Chancellor Frimpong charged the graduating students to adopt the habit of learning since such practice was essential in the modern world.
