Govt committed to academic freedom – Education Minister
The government is committed to guaranteeing unrestricted autonomy and academic freedom in tertiary institutions, the Minister of Education, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, has stated.
According to the Minister, this would help and allow tertiary institutions to fulfil their respective mandates without interference.
“The government will ensure unfettered autonomy and academic freedom in our tertiary institutions and support tertiary education institutions to fulfil their respective mandates,” he noted.
This was made known in his speech read on his behalf by the Director of Tertiary education, Ministry of Education, Dr Emmanuel Newman, at the climax of the 75th anniversary of Accra Technical University (ATU).
It was on the theme: ‘75 Years of Impacting Society and Driving Innovation.’
He urged the university to embrace the best teaching practices and develop creative ideas for research in order to contribute to the socioeconomic reform of the country.
Furthermore, the Ministry called on the management of ATU to put in place measures to deepen the relationship between the institution and industry to foster the development of the relevant workforce for the development of the nation.
“Over the years, ATU has produced great professionals, the institution has also experienced moments of great transformation and Academic programmes have been expanded,” he said.
“There has been investment in cutting-edge technology which has fostered an emerging culture of innovation in the institution. Now, our focus today must be to producing competitive and professionals who are equipped to meet the current needs of their nation,” he added.
The Minister pledged the government’s support to provide the needed resources for the development of the country’s educational institutions.
“The government will also continue to work with relevant stakeholders to expand infrastructure in tertiary education institutions,” Mr Iddrisu mentioned.
The Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, praised the University for its Significant Influence on the country and emphasised that the anniversary was evidence of decades of dedication, hard work, and inspiring leadership.
This, he stated that the university had proven to be a pillar of creativity, professional brilliance and vocational and technical excellence.
He then encouraged collaboration between academia and industry players to ensure that graduates possess skills that match contemporary industrial needs in order to boost socio-economic growth.
The Acting Vice-Chancellor of ATU, Prof. Amevi Acakpovi, underlined that the university had maintained its position as a “hub for practical knowledge” while growing its academic offerings to keep up with technological
BY CECILIA YADA LAGBA
