Professor Kwesi Yankah, President of the Central University College (CUC), has condemned the provision of laptops freely by government to some educational institutions in the country on the eve of elections.
According to him, even though computers were very important, the move was not the best way for government to demonstrate interest in the promotion of science and technology.
He described the move as a means for government to solicit votes from Ghanaians and politicize education in the country by “reducing the provision of academic equipment and infrastructure to pedestrian electoral politics.”
Professor Yankah disclosed this during Central University College 11th congregation at Prampram.
A total 2,176 students graduated with males constituting 38 percent while females constituted 62 percent, which is the highest female representation since the establishment of the university.
Four percent of the graduands obtained a First Class, 27 percent Second Class Upper, 33 percent Second Class Lower, 27 percent in Third Class division and nine percent Pass.
He raised doubts over the distribution of the laptops, mentioning that when distributing important technological facilities to students to access global knowledge with the taxpayer’s money, “it would only be fair that the process is seen with greater fairness and transparency.”
The CUC President noted beneficiary academic institutions must be appropriately notified and actively involved in the distribution process to enhance fairness and transparency.
This, he said, would support official acknowledgement of the donation to ensure that it becomes part of the institution’s record, noting that “inability to do this creates opportunities for fraudulent impersonation.”
For instance the CUC learnt from a section of the media that some of its students had been recipients of government’s laptops. He said such clandestine move could be exploited to dent an institution’s corporate image.
The chairman of the National Peace Council, who was the guest speaker for the occasion, Most Reverend Professor Emmanuel Antwi, advised the graduands to choose jobs that would be most serviceable to God.
Source: GhanaWeb
