Universities must start planning for huge numbers of Free SHS graduates in 3 yrs – CDH Boss

CEO of the CDH Group, Emmanuel Adu Sarkodee has called on universities and other tertiary institutions in the country to start planning now on how they are going to absorb the huge numbers of graduates from the Free SHS system in the next three years.
He made the call when Phoenix Insurance, a member of the CDH Group presented a cheaque for GHC100,000 to the University of Ghana in partial fulfilment of a GHC250,000 pledge by the CDH Group to support the university’s endowment fund for needy but brilliant students.
Emmanuel Adu Sarkodee noted that whereas Free SHS is a good policy, it also threatens to put tremendous pressure on the universities and other tertiary institutions in the next three years “if we do not strategize now.”
“Extensive planning is required immediately because it will require huge funding but till date I have not seen any plan or any budget from any university in that regard,” he observed.
The CDH Group CEO said there is need to plan for classroom and residential accommodation, and also on how to ensure that the huge numbers do not affect the quality of teaching.
Meanwhile, Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof. Ebenezer Oduro Owusu said the Education Ministry has tasked all tertiary institutions to come up with detailed plans on how to absorb Free SHS graduates in the next three years.
He said, on their part, the University of Ghana has already started receiving detailed plans from the various faculties on how they are preparing for the huge numbers in three years.
Prof.  Ebenezer Oduro Owusu said the focus would be on how to improve on residential and classroom facilities and also how to get more lecturers to ensure the teacher-student contact is not shortchanged.
He also said as the university marks its 70^th anniversary this year, it will dedicate the celebration solely to raising funds into an endowment fund dedicated to supporting needy but brilliant students, and also to prepare for the expected huge number of admissions in the next three years.
Prof. Oduro Owusu thanked the CDH Group for the GHC250,000 donation, saying that it is a good start for the endowment fund and he hopeful that will be a cue for the rest of corporate Ghana to follow suit.