The government is to establish universities that will focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in five of the newly created regions, the Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has said.
The beneficiary regions, which were created in 2019, are Western North, Savannah, North East, Ahafo and Oti.
Dr Bawumia announced this at the inauguration of the Academic City University at Agbogba in Accra yesterday[August 17, 2022].
He said the government was committed to adopting a coherent, well-articulated and holistic policy framework that would enable the tertiary educational system in the country to meet the needs of a learning society and also propel a knowledge-driven economy.
He said it was in line with that objective that some educational reforms and policies had been implemented over the years to reorientate the system to develop a critical mass of assertive and empowered citizens.
Academic City
The Academic City University, a private tertiary institution, was established some four years ago with 45 students.
Some of the programmes offered at the university are Journalism and Mass Communication, Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Entrepreneurship, Biomedical Engineering and Computer Engineering.
Significance
The Vice-President said the provision of relevant tertiary education was necessary for the accelerated development of the country.
Therefore, he encouraged higher educational institutions, both public and private, to provide graduates with job-relevant skills to meet the demands of the job market.
“This is necessary to ensure accelerated industrial growth, which will improve the living conditions of the people and enhance economic growth.
“The vision of Academic City is not only in line with the government’s vision and goals but also in tune with global human resource demand,” Dr Bawumia said.
To that end, he said, the government would continue to foster and support the partnership with the universities, research institutions and industry to actualise the digitalisation agenda of the nation.
