Accra-Ghana, Dec. 12, GNA – Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, Minister of Education, says Ghana is inching towards its gross tertiary enrollment target of 40 per cent by 2030.
The Minister said the country currently has a 20 per cent gross tertiary enrollment, an increment of the 18 per cent in 2022, adding that, “we were looking at getting to 30 per cent by 2025.”
Dr Adutwum disclosed this at the 15th Congregation, 5th session, of the University for Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA).
This session saw the graduation and conferment of Masters of Arts and Science Degrees, PhD, and Honorary Doctorate Degrees on graduates and candidates.
In all, 5,156 students graduated in the entire 2022/2023 academic year, comprising 1,146 postgraduate, 3,106 undergraduate, and 904 diploma students.
The First Lady Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, Justice Joyce Adeline Bamford-Addo, a Former Speaker of Parliament and Former Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Wood, were conferred Honorary Doctorates Degrees by the University.
The conferment was in recognition of their meritorious service and leadership in the country, as well as, to celebrate them as trailblazers and exemplary women in their various pursuits.
The Minister said the no-guarantor loan initiative of the Government would help meet the 40 per cent target, since the initiative would address the financial barriers to accessing tertiary education.
Professor Abednego Feehi Okoe Amartey, Vice Chancellor of UPSA, said the honorary degrees were not merely symbols of recognition, but testaments to a lifetime of dedication, passion, and impact.
“Our honourees today, come from diverse fields, each contributing in their unique way to the betterment of our society.”
“In breaking through gender norms, these accomplished women have not only excelled in their roles but have paved the way for countless others, proving that excellence knows no gender,” he added.
Prof. Amartey said the University had embraced the Free SHS policy and was constructing two hostels in anticipation of increased enrollment.
He said they had deployed funds from the University’s Vice-Chancellor Endowment Fund to ensure that brilliant but needy students were supported and had so far supported a little over 100 incoming students.
First Lady Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo said they hoped their recognition would inspire girls and women to achieve greatness.
She encouraged girls and women to aim high and be the best in whatever they set themselves to do.
