Accra, Oct. 28, GNA - A bill that would provide a legal framework to ensure the professional integrity, independence and responsibility of 3,000 professional engineers is expected before Parliament soon. The bill would also affect some 500,000 engineering practitioners and would govern the operations of the Institution of Incorporated Engineers, the Garages Association and the Suame Magazine Industrial Development Organisation.

Mr Saddique Boniface, Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, said these in Parliament on Tuesday in response to a question on when the bill for the establishment of the Engineering Council for Ghana Bill, would be brought before the House for passage. He said the draft bill had passed through various stages and is now before cabinet for consideration.

Earlier, Ms Elizabeth Ohene, Minister of State at the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports, answering questions told members that maternal deaths, deaths through accidents and advanced age were some reasons for the death of 21 students of the University of Education at Winneba between September 2006 and January 2007. She said the fast-paced life on campus, the combination of academic and family life for many of the students who are between the ages of 40 and 58 made them vulnerable to stress due to their advanced ages. The Minister, who was responding to why so many deaths on campus within a short time, said the university had a counselling unit to assist students overcome their challenges. She said in addition to many approaches to manage the situation a clinic, which is 95 per cent complete, would be developed into a hospital to serve the university and the community. 28 Oct. 08