Phyllis D. Osabutey
5 August 2008
The University of Ghana in its determination to improve academic standards and general service delivery, has inaugurated two committees to oversee implementation of the recommendations made to it by a Visitation Panel, last year.
The committees, Visitation Panel Report Implementation Committee (VPRIC) and an Audit Report Implementation Committee (ARIC), are expected to present modalities aimed at enhancing the general impetus of the University.
Inaugurating the committees yesterday, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Clifford Tagoe noted that the Visitation Panel Report Implementation Committee, chaired by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Professor Kwesi Yankah is tasked among other things to exercise overall responsibility for implementing the Council's position on the Visitation Panel Report under its direction, assign specific responsibilities to relevant units and proffering advice on procedures, where necessary.
In respect of the Audit Report Implementation Committee (ARIC), it was inaugurated to ensure that the head of an institution pursues the implementation of matters in all audit reports as well as the Auditor General's reports endorsed by Parliament, and financial matters raised in the reports of internal monitoring units in the institution.
The Vice-Chancellor indicated that the ARIC plays a crucial role in safe-guarding public funds as it required total commitment from members of the Committee, especially since "the University of Ghana is a very complex organization with a number of self-financing and self-accounting units."
He therefore expressed appreciation to members of the two committees for accepting the task and assured them of the corporation of the University administration in the implementation process.
In 2006, the University Council, acting under Section 10 of the University of Ghana Act 79 of 1961, requested a Visitation by an international panel, chaired by the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Commonwealth of Learning, Sir John Daniel.
This was in response to perceived deterioration of the University's academic standards and general service as the Council conceded that "the University of Ghana truthfully has suffered a steady decline over the years due to a number of internal and external factors, including the phenomenal growth of the student population from 10,000 in the year 2000 to over 28,000 in 2006, due largely to the Education Sector Reforms initiated in 1986, under pressure from the World bank."
Among other things, the Panel was charged to review the academic programmes of the University to determine their currency, quality and relevance to the mission of creating world-class human resources and capabilities to meet national development needs.
After the Panel's work, it submitted a-127-paged report made up of 117 recommendations, which was presented to the School. The Council accepted most of the Panel's recommendations, modified some and rejected a few.
"Council generally accepts the tenor of the Panel's recommendations. Indeed, the broad principles governing most of the recommendations are in line with the University's strategic vision as well as thinking of the University community," Council noted.
In another development, Professor F.T Sai, winner of the Prince Mihidol award for International leadership and Advocacy of Gender Equity, Reproductive Health, Family Planning and Population donated $20,000 of his prize money to the institution.
The donation was towards the establishment of a scholarship award for women in the basic Sciences, to encourage females in the under-represented fields of science.
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