Methodist University College Introduces New Courses

By Abigail Annoh

The Methodist University College of Ghana (MUCG) has begun restructuring its programmes to ensure that students became self employable and met industry needs in the face of stiff global competition.

As such, it has announced that it was phasing out courses including Bachelor of Science (Bsc) in General Agriculture, Bachelor of Arts (B.A) in Music, B.A French, B.A Religion (Ethics and Psychology), Diploma in Music and Certificate in Sound Engineering by end of the 2018/2019 academic year.

New programmes such as Bachelor of Law, Certificate in Entrepreneurship, Masters in Business Management, MA in Entrepreneurship among others are expected to be introduced to help bridge the gap between academia and industry.

Principal of the school, Prof Akwasi Asabere-Ameyaw made the disclosure while addressing the 16th Congregation of MUCG in Accra on Saturday.

A total number of 828 students graduated on the day with 442 students obtaining First Class Honours. 244 students obtained postgraduate degree while 21passed out with Diploma with the rest acquiring certificates in various courses undertaken in the academic year.

Prof. Asabere-Ameyaw, in his address, appealed to government to consider absorbing tuition fees of private universities to allow for more students to gain access to tertiary education.

"We want to appeal that just as government had taken steps to make tuition free at basic and secondary levels, it should be extended to the universities particularly the private ones to reduce the high cost of education in the country," he said.

The Former Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) also called for broader stakeholder participation in the implementation of the Free SHS policy to enable the programme realise its full potential.

"There is the need for reassessment of the programme to appreciate the enormity of the challenges and map out the needed strategies to ensure the full success of the programme," he suggested.

The Principal advised the graduating batch to keep developing themselves in whichever endeavour they found themselves adding that they should "set up long term goals and make efforts to achieve them but be cautious against cheating the system."

Guest Speaker for the occasion, Former Vice-Chancellor of the UEW, Prof. Jophus Anamuah -Mensah questioned the relevance of present courses run by the various tertiary institutions to societal transformation.

"For instance, how is our tertiary system responding to the policies like the 'one district one factory ', 'Ghana beyond Aid ' and other policies of government with the programmes they are offering"? he quizzed.

Acknowledging the fact that most universities especially the private ones operated under numerous challenges, the Educationist, stressed that they owed it a duty to enrich the country's human resource hence, must deliver programmes that addressed the needs of society.

Prof Anamuah-Mensah called for a re-look at the affiliation system in the education sector "as it appears to stifle the private universities."

"Mentoring institutions must begin to consider the private universities affiliated to them as an extension of their campuses and assist them where possible with the needed resources to effectively build students up," he urged.

Ms Ajiboye Debora Titilope in a valedictory speech expressed the student's gratitude to MUGC for "giving us not only academic qualifications but also moral transformation, values and virtues that we can live on to excel."

Students who excelled in their various disciplines were awarded with cash prizes and citations of honour with Ms Ajiboye Debora Titilope, crowned as the overall best student.

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