Students of the University of Ghana would receive education on the need to stay healthy and strive for higher education. Y107.9 FM in partnership with the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands will on Monday, 18th May hold a special forum for students of the University of Ghana.
Dubbed “The World We Want”, the event will take off with a bike tour in the morning on the University Campus to highlight and drum home the relevance of staying healthy as young adults. An interactive student debate on higher education will follow the exercise later in the day from 10am to 12 noon at the ISSER Conference Hall at the University of Ghana.
Expressing their delight in projecting such a thoughtful initiative, Ms. Naomi Nelson, Head of Corporate Communications at Global Media Alliance, parent Company of YFM noted that “As a station specially designed for the young and the young at heart, finding innovative ways to educate and motivate the youth while entertaining them with our range of programs, is a responsibility we hold very dear. It is therefore with great pleasure that we welcome this initiative by the Netherlands Embassy. Debate among students is subtly dying in the country but it is a great foundation on which students can express their thoughts and learn from other schools of thoughts.”
“We thank the Netherlands Embassy and the Student Representative Council of University of Ghana for this partnership and we look forward to a memorable day” she concluded.
Y FM is known for similar remarkable associations with other platforms such as the BBC, Sabido in South Africa and Jakaranda Radio in SA, as well as outstanding events and activations like Loud In GH, Y Hood Games and the Y Area Codes.
Source: Global Media Alliance
Showing posts with label University of Ghana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label University of Ghana. Show all posts
Friday, May 15, 2015
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Public Universities Milk Applicants Dry
Public universities have sworn to make up for the decline in government subvention, and these days anything goes -- including charging exorbitantly for on-line application scratch-cards when most of the applicants do not even get admitted.
Today most of the applications are either done directly on-line or applicants are asked to download and print application forms at their own cost.
This notwithstanding, the cost of applying to universities in the country, including public ones, has been increasing at a rate that has alarmed many applicants and their families; particularly those with low incomes.
Many people wonder what is peculiar about Ghanaian universities that they have to charge so much as application fees, when most universities globally do not charge a dime for applications.
Ghanaian universities are yet to muster the courage to stop charging application fees even as they have moved away from selling application forms to on-line application platforms.
Currently, scratch-cards to apply on-line for undergraduate programmes at the various public universities go for close to GH¢200 for most of the public universities.
Considering that a good number of applicants apply to a number of universities at the same time, the cost becomes even higher.
“I applied to three universities -- that is KNUST, Legon and UPSA -- and my brother paid almost GH¢600 for that,” said nineteen-year-old Gideon Amartey who is anxiously waiting to go to university. “If I had the money, I would have applied to two others,”he said.
“The transition of application forms from manual to electronic should have lessened the cost, I do not see why it is rather so expensive these days, said Reeves Rhommenze Romeo, a student of one of the universities.
“If the form was hard-copy it is quite understandable (even that should not be expensive, honestly), but it’s electronic now and the price is even higher than when it was manual. I still don't understand; maybe there is a reason for that but for now I don't understand why the fee goes up when it is electronic,” he said.
According to NUGS’ representative on the National Youth Authority, Prince David Orchill, the situation may even compel some potential university goers to settle for the security agencies since they do not have to pay much there.
“We are not very happy with the increasing cost of these scratch-cards. It is not fair. Now they have made the cards so expensive that students spend all their money on registration formalities and are left with no money to pay their fees after they get admitted,” he said.
The universities have argued that in view of dwindling government subvention, they are having to rely on internally generated funds to keep them going.
In its Strategic Plan, spanning the years 2014 to 2024, the University of Ghana says, for example, that its funding sources have changed “significantly” in the last decade since government support has dropped from being more than 90% of its budget to just over 55%.
“The significance of internally generated funds, relying extensively on fees from students, will grow,” it said.
Source: Business & Financial Times
Today most of the applications are either done directly on-line or applicants are asked to download and print application forms at their own cost.
This notwithstanding, the cost of applying to universities in the country, including public ones, has been increasing at a rate that has alarmed many applicants and their families; particularly those with low incomes.
Many people wonder what is peculiar about Ghanaian universities that they have to charge so much as application fees, when most universities globally do not charge a dime for applications.
Ghanaian universities are yet to muster the courage to stop charging application fees even as they have moved away from selling application forms to on-line application platforms.
Currently, scratch-cards to apply on-line for undergraduate programmes at the various public universities go for close to GH¢200 for most of the public universities.
Considering that a good number of applicants apply to a number of universities at the same time, the cost becomes even higher.
“I applied to three universities -- that is KNUST, Legon and UPSA -- and my brother paid almost GH¢600 for that,” said nineteen-year-old Gideon Amartey who is anxiously waiting to go to university. “If I had the money, I would have applied to two others,”he said.
“The transition of application forms from manual to electronic should have lessened the cost, I do not see why it is rather so expensive these days, said Reeves Rhommenze Romeo, a student of one of the universities.
“If the form was hard-copy it is quite understandable (even that should not be expensive, honestly), but it’s electronic now and the price is even higher than when it was manual. I still don't understand; maybe there is a reason for that but for now I don't understand why the fee goes up when it is electronic,” he said.
According to NUGS’ representative on the National Youth Authority, Prince David Orchill, the situation may even compel some potential university goers to settle for the security agencies since they do not have to pay much there.
“We are not very happy with the increasing cost of these scratch-cards. It is not fair. Now they have made the cards so expensive that students spend all their money on registration formalities and are left with no money to pay their fees after they get admitted,” he said.
The universities have argued that in view of dwindling government subvention, they are having to rely on internally generated funds to keep them going.
In its Strategic Plan, spanning the years 2014 to 2024, the University of Ghana says, for example, that its funding sources have changed “significantly” in the last decade since government support has dropped from being more than 90% of its budget to just over 55%.
“The significance of internally generated funds, relying extensively on fees from students, will grow,” it said.
Source: Business & Financial Times
Public universities owe GH¢30 million in utility bills
Public universities in the country owe over 30 million Ghana Cedis in utility bills.
The University of Ghana owes GH¢14,936, 868 in electricity and GH¢2,585,232 in water bills. The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology owes GH¢9,368,487 in electricity and GH¢1,842,687 in water bills.
The University of Mines and Technology owes GH¢553,047 in electricity bills and GH¢160,456 in water bills, the university of education Winneba owes GH¢3,414,287 and GH¢1,300,604 while the University of Energy and Natural Resources owes GH¢880,135 in electricity and GH¢200,471 in water.
The figures did not include that of the University of Cape Coast, the University of Development Studies and the University of Health and Allied Science and the University of Professional Studies, Accra.
The figure does not include bills of other tertiary institutions and the senior high schools.
Speaking at a public lecture at the University of Cape Coast Wednesday, the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr Seth Terkper said government was ready to disclose the true state of the nation to Ghanaians.
He was speaking on the topic “Challenges and Experiences of Managing the Economy of Ghana.”
Mr Seth Terpker, an alumnus of UCC suggested more efficient ways of using utilities, reiterating the need for the adoption of pre-paid electricity meters for use on the campuses.
He said there was the need to be more efficient and to check illegal use of electricity and also consider moving from the use of conventional electricity to biogas and solar.
He noted that “if we do not make these corrections, we would continue to have a legacy of subsidies which has often brought the nation to its knees.”
He indicated that though government was obliged to pay, the dispute was whether or not government could continue to pay the huge cost. He failed to comment on whether or not students would eventually be required to pay for utilities.
Mr Terpker further called for a concerted effort to put in a lot of gas infrastructure to augment electricity supply.
He said the World Bank had confirmed that Ghana’s growth was going to increase significantly in 2017 saying those gains must be consolidated.
He said despite the up and down swing and the challenges facing the country’s economy it was important to note that the country had made positive economic growth in the last 30 years.
- By Shirley Asiedu Addo, Graphic.com.gh
The University of Ghana owes GH¢14,936, 868 in electricity and GH¢2,585,232 in water bills. The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology owes GH¢9,368,487 in electricity and GH¢1,842,687 in water bills.
The University of Mines and Technology owes GH¢553,047 in electricity bills and GH¢160,456 in water bills, the university of education Winneba owes GH¢3,414,287 and GH¢1,300,604 while the University of Energy and Natural Resources owes GH¢880,135 in electricity and GH¢200,471 in water.
The figures did not include that of the University of Cape Coast, the University of Development Studies and the University of Health and Allied Science and the University of Professional Studies, Accra.
The figure does not include bills of other tertiary institutions and the senior high schools.
Speaking at a public lecture at the University of Cape Coast Wednesday, the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr Seth Terkper said government was ready to disclose the true state of the nation to Ghanaians.
He was speaking on the topic “Challenges and Experiences of Managing the Economy of Ghana.”
Mr Seth Terpker, an alumnus of UCC suggested more efficient ways of using utilities, reiterating the need for the adoption of pre-paid electricity meters for use on the campuses.
He said there was the need to be more efficient and to check illegal use of electricity and also consider moving from the use of conventional electricity to biogas and solar.
He noted that “if we do not make these corrections, we would continue to have a legacy of subsidies which has often brought the nation to its knees.”
He indicated that though government was obliged to pay, the dispute was whether or not government could continue to pay the huge cost. He failed to comment on whether or not students would eventually be required to pay for utilities.
Mr Terpker further called for a concerted effort to put in a lot of gas infrastructure to augment electricity supply.
He said the World Bank had confirmed that Ghana’s growth was going to increase significantly in 2017 saying those gains must be consolidated.
He said despite the up and down swing and the challenges facing the country’s economy it was important to note that the country had made positive economic growth in the last 30 years.
- By Shirley Asiedu Addo, Graphic.com.gh
Sandwich programmes affecting teacher attendance – Research
Accra , May 6, GNA - Research conducted by the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) Ghana, has revealed that sandwich programmes organised for teachers is promoting teacher absenteeism in some public basic schools.
Dr Edward Ampratwum, a Research Officer at CDD-Ghana made this known at the recent International Conference on Education Research for Development in Africa (ICERDA) held in Accra, on the theme "Harnessing education research for evidence-based development".
He disclosed that the situation is worse in the Central Region, where most of the universities run the sandwich programmes and participant teachers of the sandwich programme often abandoned classrooms to attend lectures to the detriment of pupils.
The CDD’s pilot investigation of teacher absenteeism in public primary schools, showed that absenteeism was high on Mondays and highest on Fridays with male teachers more likely to be absent than female teachers.
"The teachers who are taking part in the sandwich programme leave the school on Thursdays or Fridays to attend lectures thereby leaving the classrooms empty," he said.
He said more worrying, was the occurrence of the teachers using their teaching hours to read their notes when they return from lectures, and contracting unprofessional teachers to prepare lesson notes for them on their behalf.
Dr Ampratwum said the situation is affecting quality education even though government has increased its expenditure in the sector.
He called on government, the Ghana education service and other stakeholders to urgently address the situation.
Another research by IMANI Ghana showed that there were leakages in the flow of resources such as textbooks and the capitation grant, from the Ghana Education Service to District Education Offices (DEO) and from the DEOs to the schools, even though government had increased its expenditure in basic education.
Mr Festus Akuetteh Ankrah, Research Officer at IMANI Ghana called for the promotion of quality education to end the menace of youth unemployment.
Professor Cephas Narh Omenyo, Provost of the College of Education, University of Ghana said the conference would be sustained to help develop education in Ghana and Africa at large.
He also noted the absence of doctorate programmes and post-doctoral fellowships in the arena of education research and said the university would work towards filling the gap.
Dr Edward Ampratwum, a Research Officer at CDD-Ghana made this known at the recent International Conference on Education Research for Development in Africa (ICERDA) held in Accra, on the theme "Harnessing education research for evidence-based development".
He disclosed that the situation is worse in the Central Region, where most of the universities run the sandwich programmes and participant teachers of the sandwich programme often abandoned classrooms to attend lectures to the detriment of pupils.
The CDD’s pilot investigation of teacher absenteeism in public primary schools, showed that absenteeism was high on Mondays and highest on Fridays with male teachers more likely to be absent than female teachers.
"The teachers who are taking part in the sandwich programme leave the school on Thursdays or Fridays to attend lectures thereby leaving the classrooms empty," he said.
He said more worrying, was the occurrence of the teachers using their teaching hours to read their notes when they return from lectures, and contracting unprofessional teachers to prepare lesson notes for them on their behalf.
Dr Ampratwum said the situation is affecting quality education even though government has increased its expenditure in the sector.
He called on government, the Ghana education service and other stakeholders to urgently address the situation.
Another research by IMANI Ghana showed that there were leakages in the flow of resources such as textbooks and the capitation grant, from the Ghana Education Service to District Education Offices (DEO) and from the DEOs to the schools, even though government had increased its expenditure in basic education.
Mr Festus Akuetteh Ankrah, Research Officer at IMANI Ghana called for the promotion of quality education to end the menace of youth unemployment.
Professor Cephas Narh Omenyo, Provost of the College of Education, University of Ghana said the conference would be sustained to help develop education in Ghana and Africa at large.
He also noted the absence of doctorate programmes and post-doctoral fellowships in the arena of education research and said the university would work towards filling the gap.
Source: Ghana News Agency
Ghana's educational curriculum needs strict reassessment
Accra, May 5, GNA - Professor Kwame Akyeampong, a Senior Lecturer in International Education at the University of Sussex, has called for the strict reassessment of the content of Ghana’s educational curriculum to make graduates more productive and independent.
This, he said, would ensure that graduates produced by the system acquired the requisite skills needed by industry for national growth, and able to effectively engage in national policy discourse.
Prof Akyeampong was delivering a keynote address at a two-day international conference on Education Research for Development in Africa which opened in Accra on Monday.
The conference, which is being organised under the auspices of the School of Education and Leadership of the College of Education, University of Ghana, and the Department of Education, University of Sussex is on the theme: “Harnessing Education Research for Evidence-Based Development”.
Prof. Akyeampong said it was unfortunate that Ghana’s educational systems fell short of providing students with the skills for their independence once they completed their courses.
He noted that due to the default, the successful education that the country professed to have attained did not reflect in the capacity of graduates being turned up in recent times.
He said the situation was very worrying and made it very vital for researchers to re-look at the content of the various curricular of education to ensure that what was being taught in the classroom was made practical and beneficial for development.
Prof Akyeampong said the entire educational system was deformed, overlooking the issue such as equity, quality, affordability and gender disparity, and mistaking the successes in enrolment levels to mean all-inclusiveness, but this had been in favour of the rich as against the poor, who could not afford the rising cost of secondary and tertiary education.
The success of the educational system would, therefore, require a total overhaul of both content and a correction of all existing gaps such as the huge gender disparities and high school drop-out rates among girls as they progress from the basic through to junior high and senior high schools to the university, even though high basic school enrolment are being recorded each year.
Prof. Akyeampong said unfortunately the gender parity that had been achieved was in favour of the rich, bringing to the fore the issue of affordability which must be critically addressed if Ghana wanted to realise any meaningful growth and development.
He said the role of research was important if the issues raised were to be addressed and called for quality research and stakeholder collaboration to ensure that researches carried out addressed the real problem and made meaningful impact on the lives of people.
Prof. Cephas Omanyo, Provost of the College of Education, University of Ghana, said the conference would discuss topics including Gender, Equity and Social Justice, Framing Quality Education for Equitable Learning, Teacher Education for School Improvement and Educational Leadership for School Improvement.
It would also create the needed opportunity for researchers to grow their research capacities and form research networks with like-minded partners, with the aim of establishing an education research network that would be positioned to address the pressing needs facing education in Ghana and in the sub-region.
Prof. John Gyapong, Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, said the establishment of a network of researchers that would frame, influence and critique respective national policies on issues of education that affected the country was urgently needed, and such an association would generate opportunities for competitive research studentships.
He thanked the University of Sussex for its collaboration with the University of Ghana, which would enhance teacher education and also quality research into educational issues.
The conference focuses on how education research can provide insights into some of the development challenges in the African context, and some areas to be covered include policy analysis in education as well as theorising quality education, power and politics in education research.
It would also set a discussion on understanding gender, equity and social justice in development discourse, shifting paradigms of education research and educational leadership in cultural contexts among other things.
Source: Ghana News Agency
This, he said, would ensure that graduates produced by the system acquired the requisite skills needed by industry for national growth, and able to effectively engage in national policy discourse.
Prof Akyeampong was delivering a keynote address at a two-day international conference on Education Research for Development in Africa which opened in Accra on Monday.
The conference, which is being organised under the auspices of the School of Education and Leadership of the College of Education, University of Ghana, and the Department of Education, University of Sussex is on the theme: “Harnessing Education Research for Evidence-Based Development”.
Prof. Akyeampong said it was unfortunate that Ghana’s educational systems fell short of providing students with the skills for their independence once they completed their courses.
He noted that due to the default, the successful education that the country professed to have attained did not reflect in the capacity of graduates being turned up in recent times.
He said the situation was very worrying and made it very vital for researchers to re-look at the content of the various curricular of education to ensure that what was being taught in the classroom was made practical and beneficial for development.
Prof Akyeampong said the entire educational system was deformed, overlooking the issue such as equity, quality, affordability and gender disparity, and mistaking the successes in enrolment levels to mean all-inclusiveness, but this had been in favour of the rich as against the poor, who could not afford the rising cost of secondary and tertiary education.
The success of the educational system would, therefore, require a total overhaul of both content and a correction of all existing gaps such as the huge gender disparities and high school drop-out rates among girls as they progress from the basic through to junior high and senior high schools to the university, even though high basic school enrolment are being recorded each year.
Prof. Akyeampong said unfortunately the gender parity that had been achieved was in favour of the rich, bringing to the fore the issue of affordability which must be critically addressed if Ghana wanted to realise any meaningful growth and development.
He said the role of research was important if the issues raised were to be addressed and called for quality research and stakeholder collaboration to ensure that researches carried out addressed the real problem and made meaningful impact on the lives of people.
Prof. Cephas Omanyo, Provost of the College of Education, University of Ghana, said the conference would discuss topics including Gender, Equity and Social Justice, Framing Quality Education for Equitable Learning, Teacher Education for School Improvement and Educational Leadership for School Improvement.
It would also create the needed opportunity for researchers to grow their research capacities and form research networks with like-minded partners, with the aim of establishing an education research network that would be positioned to address the pressing needs facing education in Ghana and in the sub-region.
Prof. John Gyapong, Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, said the establishment of a network of researchers that would frame, influence and critique respective national policies on issues of education that affected the country was urgently needed, and such an association would generate opportunities for competitive research studentships.
He thanked the University of Sussex for its collaboration with the University of Ghana, which would enhance teacher education and also quality research into educational issues.
The conference focuses on how education research can provide insights into some of the development challenges in the African context, and some areas to be covered include policy analysis in education as well as theorising quality education, power and politics in education research.
It would also set a discussion on understanding gender, equity and social justice in development discourse, shifting paradigms of education research and educational leadership in cultural contexts among other things.
Source: Ghana News Agency
Monday, May 4, 2015
Court dismisses case against University of Ghana
The Human Rights Court has dismissed the case against the University of Ghana over the closure of some of the access routes to the school.
Some parents of pupils at the University of Ghana Primary School sued the University over the decision to close all access routes into the school.
According to ruling given by Justice Essel Mensah, the suit was not properly brought before the court by the applicants for it to be adjudicated upon it merits hence his decision.
The University of Ghana last year closed all access routes into its campus to the public with the exception of the entrance from the Okponglo intersection, a decision which did not go down well with parents, who subsequently sought a perpetual injunction against the university from continuing with the ongoing restrictions.
Background
The University of Ghana closed all access routes into its campus to the public with the exception of the entrance from the Okponglo intersection.
The closure was announced after the school was forced to suspend its tolling system which generated public outcry leading to the destruction of one of its toll booth by national security operatives.
Subsequently, only vehicles with the 2014 UG sticker were allowed to enter and exit the school through all the access routes.
Some 130 parents whose wards attend the basic school sued the University over the matter.
The parents sought a perpetual injunction against the university from continuing with the ongoing restrictions.
– By: Fred Djabanor/citimonline.com/Ghana
Some parents of pupils at the University of Ghana Primary School sued the University over the decision to close all access routes into the school.
According to ruling given by Justice Essel Mensah, the suit was not properly brought before the court by the applicants for it to be adjudicated upon it merits hence his decision.
The University of Ghana last year closed all access routes into its campus to the public with the exception of the entrance from the Okponglo intersection, a decision which did not go down well with parents, who subsequently sought a perpetual injunction against the university from continuing with the ongoing restrictions.
Background
The University of Ghana closed all access routes into its campus to the public with the exception of the entrance from the Okponglo intersection.
The closure was announced after the school was forced to suspend its tolling system which generated public outcry leading to the destruction of one of its toll booth by national security operatives.
Subsequently, only vehicles with the 2014 UG sticker were allowed to enter and exit the school through all the access routes.
Some 130 parents whose wards attend the basic school sued the University over the matter.
The parents sought a perpetual injunction against the university from continuing with the ongoing restrictions.
– By: Fred Djabanor/citimonline.com/Ghana
Monday, April 27, 2015
University of Ghana acquires software to detect plagiarism
The University of Ghana has deployed software under its current e-Learning platform that detects plagiarism in all forms, from class assignments to project works and other academic work.
The software which is part of the university’s e-Learning management system called Sakai is aimed at enhancing original thought among students and promoting excellent academic work.
The Dean of Distance Learning of the University of Ghana, Legon, Prof. Yaw Oheneba Sekyi, who disclosed this to the media after the 2015 matriculation at the Kumasi Learning Centre, said all the distance learning campuses of the school had been connected through a fibre optic to the main campus at Legon in Accra.
He said the students had also been offered android-based tablets which were web-based and allowed students to access course materials electronically and submit assignments as well as interact among themselves on the same platform.
Vice Chancellor
In a speech read on his behalf, the Vice- Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof. Ernest Aryeetey, announced that the university recently through the government secured a $37.5 million ICT project for its distance education programme.
He said under the project, the Accra, Koforidua, Sunyani, Takoradi, Tamale, Tsito and Wa learning centres have been equipped with modern facilities with ultra-modern computer laboratories and smart classrooms.
The rest are video conference facilities, backup generating sets and outdoor Wi-Fi, while 3,000 Internet-enabled android tablets, preloaded with relevant teaching and learning materials have been distributed to students.
In all, 1,184 students were enrolled for the 2014/2015 academic year.
Prof. Aryeetey said students admitted for Distance Education this year would have all tutorials and examinations in their centres, without having to come down to Legon as had been the practice.
Source: By Donald Ato Dapatem, Graphic.com.gh
The software which is part of the university’s e-Learning management system called Sakai is aimed at enhancing original thought among students and promoting excellent academic work.
The Dean of Distance Learning of the University of Ghana, Legon, Prof. Yaw Oheneba Sekyi, who disclosed this to the media after the 2015 matriculation at the Kumasi Learning Centre, said all the distance learning campuses of the school had been connected through a fibre optic to the main campus at Legon in Accra.
He said the students had also been offered android-based tablets which were web-based and allowed students to access course materials electronically and submit assignments as well as interact among themselves on the same platform.
Vice Chancellor
In a speech read on his behalf, the Vice- Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof. Ernest Aryeetey, announced that the university recently through the government secured a $37.5 million ICT project for its distance education programme.
He said under the project, the Accra, Koforidua, Sunyani, Takoradi, Tamale, Tsito and Wa learning centres have been equipped with modern facilities with ultra-modern computer laboratories and smart classrooms.
The rest are video conference facilities, backup generating sets and outdoor Wi-Fi, while 3,000 Internet-enabled android tablets, preloaded with relevant teaching and learning materials have been distributed to students.
In all, 1,184 students were enrolled for the 2014/2015 academic year.
Prof. Aryeetey said students admitted for Distance Education this year would have all tutorials and examinations in their centres, without having to come down to Legon as had been the practice.
Source: By Donald Ato Dapatem, Graphic.com.gh
The University of Ghana holds three simultaneous matriculation at Distance Education (DE) Learning Centres.
Accra, April 27, GNA – The University of Ghana (UG) for the first time, has held three simultaneous matriculation at its Accra City Campus, Kumasi, and Tamale Distance Education (DE) Learning Centres.
Matriculants at the Accra City Campus were drawn from Accra, Cape Coast, Tsito, Koforidua and Takoradi Learning Centres, while that of the Kumasi and Sunyani centres took place in Kumasi; whereas the Tamale centre hosted students from Tamale, Bolgatanga and Wa centres.
Addressing the matriculants at the Accra City Campus, Professor Ernest Ayittey, the Vice Chancellor (VC) of UG, said, for the first time, matriculation ceremonies were being held concurrently in three regional learning centres, as part of the long-term goal to transform the regional centres into satellite campuses of the University.
He said there had being a number of changes in the DE mode of the University starting from the 2014/2015 academic year which aimed at improving on delivery and making the distance learning mode more attractive to students.
The VC mentioned that one of such changes was the restructuring and expansion of the programmes on offer.
Prof Ayittey announced that programmes being offered had been expanded to include Nursing and Information Technology.
He said the Nursing programme, run in conjunction with the School of Nursing, had proven to be particularly popular in most regional centres.
He disclosed that a total of 653 applications were received this academic year for Nursing, out of which 513 were admitted and 450 enrolled, representing 38 per cent of the total number of enrolled DE students.
The VC said the Bachelor of Science in Administration and Bachelor of Arts programmes remained popular choices for their DE students, with 346 and 367 students respectively accepting offers this academic year.
He pointed out that there were 21 students enrolled in their newly-introduced Bachelor of Science programme in Information Technology, which for this academic year was being offered at the Accra City Campus.
On the general enrolment, the VC observed that figures for the 2014/2015 academic year were up from last year’s figure of 775 to 1184, representing a 52 per cent increase.
“We are working hard as a University to not only to increase the numbers of our students in the Distance Learning mode, but also to improve the facilities and learning experiences that our students have,” Prof Ayittey stated.
“Starting from this year, DE students were admitted to their regional centres, and with the improvement of facilities in the centres, the students will have all tutorials and examinations in their centres, without having to come down to Legon, as has been the practice over the years,” he added.
He said the collegiate system which was implemented at the beginning of this academic year would provide more room for innovations at the school and college levels, and the semi-autonomous nature of the colleges would enable them take more decisions on their academic programmes and administration.
Prof Ayittey recounted that the University recently inaugurated a $ 37.5 million Information Communication Technology (ICT) project for its DE programme under the Chinese Phase Two ICT Project.
He said the project, funded with a Chinese Government loan procured by the Ghana Government on behalf of UG, had deployed an integrated Digital Mobile Learning platform for DE.
“This is part of a larger set of activities reflecting the strong desire of UG to use ICT as a major strategy in achieving its future goals,” Prof Ayittey said.
The VC said as part of the project, the Accra, Koforidua, Sunyani, Takoradi, Tsito and Wa Centres had been equipped with modern facilities; with each centre provided with ultra-modern computer labs, smart classrooms, a video conference facility, backup generators and outdoor Wi-Fi.
He noted that in addition, as part of the project; 3000 internet enabled android tablets had been acquired; pre-loaded with the relevant teaching and learning materials, and distributed to newly admitted students.
Prof Ayittey said the DE programme was therefore, in the process of moving away from paper-based teaching materials to Sakai, an eLearning platform, which has enhanced teaching and learning.
“Also as part of the plan to grow regional learning centres into campuses of the University, work has started on the rehabilitation and refurbishment of the regional learning centres,” the VC said.
Prof Ayittey further urged the students to take their studies seriously and determine to be part of the 2017 and 2018 graduating classes for those admitted to level 200 and 100 respectively.
Source: Ghana News Agency
Increase financial literacy in education system – Professor William Steel
Accra, April 27, GNA - Professor William Steel, an Adjunct Professor of the University of Ghana’s Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research, has called for greater inclusion of financial literacy in Ghana’s education system.
He cited one instance where some remarkable finance educational materials which were being used in Zambia, were found to have Ghanaian origins: the materials exist in Ghana but are not being employed in teaching and learning.
The Adjunct Professor was speaking on the theme: “The Role of Financial Services in Poverty Reduction and Social Inclusion in Ghana,” at the annual general meeting of the Brandeis Graduate Association of Ghana in Accra.
He said poverty reduction, social and financial inclusion efforts for the marginalized in society, such as the provision of micro-finance services, must embed more financial literacy for the targeted low income earners and for the younger generation as well.
“In Ghana, the good news is that financial services have been extended to many people, but the bad news is the interest rates; and many people are not very literate to know what they are getting into,” Prof Steel said.
The Brandeis Graduate Association of Ghana which is the Ghanaian alumni association of Brandeis University in Massachusetts, was inaugurated in 2014 with the aim of reducing poverty and improving access of the deprived in society, to education and health.
Mr Samuel Kwotuah, President of Brandeis Graduate Association of Ghana, said the self-funding association was not in a rush to design and execute its projects as they need to be designed carefully to be feasible.
He disclosed that in the near future, the organization would be going into policy dialogue with government.
“We will be taking some of the policies, trying to analyze those policies and see how the policies will have impact on Ghanaians and what advice we can give to government so that we would be able to implement laudable policies”, the President said.
Source: GNA
Monday, April 20, 2015
University of Ghana SRC election software was compromised - BNI
The software developer at the center of the University of Ghana SRC election admits the process was compromised to favor one candidate but denies been the architect, a highly placed source at the BNI has told Joy News.
According to the source, investigations are still underway to bring closure to the electronic voting system at the center of the controversy.
The Bureau of National Investigations said they acted swiftly in the University of Ghana Students Representative Council election because it had potential national security implications.
The interest of the Bureau, according to the investigator is to further address the allegation of manipulation of ballots used in the polls and to ensure fair play in the choice of the students in choosing their leaders.
The software developer, Stephen Forson who is the managing director of IPRO Solutions contracted by the university was picked up by the BNI on the 14th of April but has been released on bail pending further investigations.
There were allegations the University of Ghana’s SRC election contested between Davies Ohene Fobi and Mikdad Mohammed had been manipulated to favour one candidate.
This led to confusion and series of demonstration on the University of Ghana campus.
The BNI took over issue after a formal complaint was filed at their office by one of the candidates in the election, Joy News learnt.
Joy News’ source at the BNI confirmed that initial investigations suggest that the software was tampered with by a yet to be identified person to the advantage of one of the candidates.
Information picked by Joy News indicates that the Bureau retrieved six laptop computers used as servers in the said election for examination.
Using personal laptop provided by the software developer, Stephen Forson a practical demonstration was conducted on its application in the presence of the developer and his father, George Amoah Baiden and other independent persons.
During the demonstration, five voters were added to the University’s electoral roll and Forson was given one of the laptops used in the actual voting to demonstrate how the voting system works in a two man race.
The results after the demonstration showed clearly that the system had been manipulated to favor one candidate as all but one vote went to a particular candidate though they had voted for another.
Source at the BNI says Forson admitted the system which was used in four previous elections at the university has been compromised but denied being the architect.
“What I can say is that Forson as the brand owner of the software is the only person who knows how it works and could manipulate it because not even the Electoral Commissioner who conducted the elections knew how the process worked,” the source indicated.
Joy News is also learning from the investigations that regardless of which candidates one votes for, the electronic voting system is programmed to credit a specific candidate with all the votes from voters whose identification numbers end with an even number whilst votes cast by voters whose identification numbers end with an odd numbers are shared equally between the two candidates.
It also came out clear that architects of the manipulation did so to favor Davies Ohene Fobi and he was credited with all votes cast by students with voters ID numbers ending with an even number even if they voted for the other candidate Mikdad Mohammed.
“We have forwarded our report to the authorities of university but we are looking for the other persons believed to have played a role in the whole exercise because Forson has admitted someone other than him did it,” according to the source.
The Bureau is also denying reports in the media alleging that Forson when arrested was tortured by people at the Flagstaff House and later handed to the BNI.
“Let's clear the air and say that he was taken from his residence by our officers on the morning of 14th April at about 6am following reports received, we are still continuing our investigations and once it is done will forward the docket to the Attorney Generals Department for advice,” the source intimated.
Source: Ghana | Myjoyonline.com
I have SRC President's 'attempted bribery' evidence - UG IT expert
The IT expert who developed the software for the conduct of the University of Ghana Student Representative Council (SRC) elections, Stephen Forson has revealed that he has in his possession valuable items of the sitting SRC President to prove he attempted bribing him.
The items which he refused to disclose when he spoke on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen are ones which could be obtained only after a visit to his residence.
“…KABA, tell him that his valuables are still with me…also extend my greetings to his fair-coloured girlfriend…,” he insinuated on the show.
The undisclosed items, he said, are all evidences to prove his alleged claims that current SRC President, Joshua Dogbey, GRASAG President, Reginald Arthur and one of the candidates in the election, Muhammad Mikdad tried to bribe him to manipulate the elections in favour of Mikdad.
Mr. Forson on Friday, April 17th, 2015 cited his pregnant wife as his witness. He added that the team from Legon promised to extend his contract with the University SRC if he does their bidding for their candidate to win.
IPRO Solutions Ltd has a five year contract with the University of Ghana (2012-2016), and also runs elections for all the polytechnics and some universities in the country.
"When they tried and they didn’t succeed, they thought others have also done so…the executioner fears to always lie with his head up of course…,” said.
But these allegations, the Presidents of the two student groups said are unfounded stating on the show that they never visited the house of the IPRO Chief Executive Officer.
While Reginald Arthur insisted he only met the IT Expert on the election day, Joshua said meetings between them were for ‘purely administrative matters’ and added that the meeting
was about a month before the elections and not when the election was approaching.
Joshua said the venue for such meetings were his office on campus.
But Mr. Forson insisted that he still has in his possession certain evidences to prove his allegations.
“Ask them, how I got hold of those items if they had not been to my house…at least as a concerned lady, my wife passed by to look at them…,” he said.
He also added that despite him putting his phone off and the Legon team also taking their phones out during the midnight meeting, he still has in his possession certain evidences to prove they were present in his house.
Mr. Forson who insisted he was acting on the advice of his lawyers said he would provide details when he appears in court with the Legon team.
He further denied a said leaked report from the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) which alleges the software for the elections was tampered with.
“At least when we met the BNI, they denied leaking any report to the media and I have not admitted to anything of that sort…,” he said.
Source: Ghana | adomonline.com | KWAKU NTI
We never bribed Legon IT expert - SRC, GRASAG Presidents
Presidents of the Students Representative Council (SRC) and Graduate Students Association of Ghana (GRASAG) of the University of Ghana, Joshua Dogbe and Reginald Mensah have denied bribery allegations leveled against them by the IT expert who developed the software for the conduct of the elections.
The two claimed on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen Monday that they never made any attempts to persuade Mr. Stephen Forson, the IT expert that conducted the students election to influence the outcome in favour of Muhammad Mikdad, a candidate in the election.
“I didn’t visit in his house…in course of election matters what I remember was a meeting between Forson and myself…,” Joshua Dogbe said on the show.
The designer of the software for the conduct of the Legon elections revealed on Friday April 17, 2015 that Joshua Dogbey tried to bribe him to manipulate the elections in favour of his preferred candidate.
Mr. Forson claimed that Mr. Dogbey and two others including the losing candidate in the April 9, 2015 SRC election, Mikdad Muhammad came to his house at midnight days to the elections to induce him to rig the elections for a candidate in the elections.
IPRO Solutions Ltd has a five year contract with the University of Ghana (2012-2016), and also runs elections for all the polytechnics and some universities in the country.
Citing his pregnant wife as his witness, he continued that the team from Legon promised to extend his contract with the University SRC if he does their bidding for their candidate to win.
"When they tried and they didn’t succeed, they thought others have also done so…the executioner fears to always lie with his head up of course…,” said.
But these allegations, Mr. Dogbey and Mr. Arthur who were at the studios of Adom and Asempa FMs on Monday said were false and attempts to drag their names into the mud.
While Reginald Arthur insisted he only met the IT Expert on the election day, Joshua said he only met him for "purely administrative matters" adding that the meeting was about a month before the elections and not when the election was approaching.
According to him, the agenda for the said meeting was about Forson’s five year contract with the student body and not to force him to turn the election in favour of a candidate.
The undergraduate student leader noted that the venue for the said meeting was his office in the University of Ghana campus and not in his [Forson’s] home as he alleged.
Reginald on his part expressed surprise that his name was mentioned by the IT guy as one who tried to influence him since he does not even know where the IT expert lives.
“I have never gone to his house…I don’t know his house…if fact [election day] was the only day that I have ever seen him…”, Reginald said.
But Forson who called into the Programme also denied the claims by the student leaders.
Source: Ghana | adomonline.com | KWAKU NTI
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Legon SRC Prez tried bribing me – Election IT Expert
The IT expert who designed the software for the conduct of the University of Ghana students’ elections, Stephen Forson has revealed that the current President of the Students Representative Council (SRC) tried to bribe him to manipulate the elections in favour of his preferred candidate.
Mr. Forson revealed on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme on Friday April 17, 2015 that Mr. Joshua Dogbey and two others including the losing candidate in the April 9, 2015 SRC election, Mikdad Muhammad sneaked into his house at midnight in the days leading to the elections to try to induce him to rig the elections for a candidate in the elections.
Citing his pregnant wife as his witness, he continued that the team from Legon promised to extend his contract with the University SRC if he does their bidding for their candidate to win.
IPRO Solutions Ltd has a five year contract with the University of Ghana (2012-2016), and also runs elections for all the polytechnics and some universities in the country.
"When they tried and they didn’t succeed, they thought others have also done so…the executioner fears to always lie with his head up of course…,” he revealed.
News emerged this week that the IT expert was taken into the custody of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) following the complaints of a losing candidate.
Mr. Forson said he was taken from his home by about six persons who claimed to be BNI officers in the presence of his pregnant wife in the early hours of Wednesday April 15.
The officers, he said came with an arrest warrant which they failed to allow him to read with "one threatening to shoot my barking dog if it is not controlled."
“Just then I knew they were carrying guns so I never resisted them and they took me to the headquarters of the BNI around Ridge…,” he said.
After spending some days in the custody of the BNI where he was denied visitation, Mr. Forson said he was finally released yesterday around 7:00 PM with his electrical gadgets seized by the security agency. He is to report to the BNI twice a week.
Mr. Forson who said he has a company which trains and employs some of the Ghanaian youth said among other things that his heart bleeds for the country "because of the intimidation of young entrepreneurs and the too many lies in the country now."
“Lies have become so rampant that those who try to say the truth become enemies of the state…we all know how to talk…,” he said.
He would soon be holding a press conference to reveal the names of people who tried to bribe him and have subsequently threatened his life and business, after taking legal advice, he disclosed.
Source: Ghana | adomonline.com | KWAKU NTI
Mr. Forson revealed on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme on Friday April 17, 2015 that Mr. Joshua Dogbey and two others including the losing candidate in the April 9, 2015 SRC election, Mikdad Muhammad sneaked into his house at midnight in the days leading to the elections to try to induce him to rig the elections for a candidate in the elections.
Citing his pregnant wife as his witness, he continued that the team from Legon promised to extend his contract with the University SRC if he does their bidding for their candidate to win.
IPRO Solutions Ltd has a five year contract with the University of Ghana (2012-2016), and also runs elections for all the polytechnics and some universities in the country.
"When they tried and they didn’t succeed, they thought others have also done so…the executioner fears to always lie with his head up of course…,” he revealed.
News emerged this week that the IT expert was taken into the custody of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) following the complaints of a losing candidate.
Mr. Forson said he was taken from his home by about six persons who claimed to be BNI officers in the presence of his pregnant wife in the early hours of Wednesday April 15.
The officers, he said came with an arrest warrant which they failed to allow him to read with "one threatening to shoot my barking dog if it is not controlled."
“Just then I knew they were carrying guns so I never resisted them and they took me to the headquarters of the BNI around Ridge…,” he said.
After spending some days in the custody of the BNI where he was denied visitation, Mr. Forson said he was finally released yesterday around 7:00 PM with his electrical gadgets seized by the security agency. He is to report to the BNI twice a week.
Mr. Forson who said he has a company which trains and employs some of the Ghanaian youth said among other things that his heart bleeds for the country "because of the intimidation of young entrepreneurs and the too many lies in the country now."
“Lies have become so rampant that those who try to say the truth become enemies of the state…we all know how to talk…,” he said.
He would soon be holding a press conference to reveal the names of people who tried to bribe him and have subsequently threatened his life and business, after taking legal advice, he disclosed.
Source: Ghana | adomonline.com | KWAKU NTI
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