Government would continue to fund research- Professor Awoonor

Tamale, Dec. 11, GNA - Professor Kofi Awoonor, Chairman of the Council of State, has stated that government would continue to provide the required assistance to make postgraduate training and research accessible to staff of tertiary institutions in the country.

The Chairman of the Council of State, who gave this assurance at the 11th Congregation of the University for Development Studies (UDS), in Tamale, on Saturday, said government recognized that the availability of a well trained and highly-qualified teaching and research staff enhanced the reputation and standing of the university and would therefore continue to support in that direction.

A total of 2,033 students successfully graduated at this year's congregation. Out of the figure, 147 received diploma certificates, 1,822 were awarded bachelor degrees while 19 received masters' degrees. Twenty eight of the grandaunts earned first class degrees. Professor Awoonor noted that, universities such as the UDS, which were still developing their new academic programmes, would need more support to build the capacity and skills of its staff.

He said it was in view of this critical need that government, this year, provided an amount of GHC 122, 645.69, through the GETFund, to the University for Development Studies (UDS), to support its staff development and research activities.

The Chairman of the Council of State however commended the UDS for not solely relying on government for funds for its research and development and noted that, it had done this through local collaboration and linkages and systematically developing and broadening its research base and scope. Professor Awoonor said government had committed resources into the development of the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH), which has being positioned to serve as a clinical training ground for the UDS Medical School.

As part of this measure, he said, government this year provided GHc209, 000 for the clinical training of the UDS Medical School students at the TTH, adding that, beyond the TTH, plans are advanced to equip a number of district hospitals to serve as satellite clinical centres for the training of the medical students.

"UDS has a responsibility to train doctors and allied health personnel, who will offer quality service to the poor and deprived. He said the UDS Medical School will be resourced to train the requisite health personnel to run the hospitals in districts in northern Ghana and the rest of the country.

Touching on the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA), Professor Awoonor urged the Management and Lecturers of the UDS to initiate partnership with SADA and other development agencies, both local and international, and take advantage of the "synergies in development thinking". Professor Haruna Yakubu, Vice-Chancellor of the UDS commended the government for providing the University with an amount of twenty million Ghana cedis, last year, under the President's Endowment Fund Initiative, but noted with regret that, up till now, the UDS has not been able to access the money and appealed to the Council of State Chairman to assist. The Vice-Chancellor said after 17 years of existence, the UDS was still faced with serious residential accommodation for both staff and students and noted that, this was a heavy burden on the universities finances and appealed to government to help provide adequate accommodation for the UDS. Dr. Abdulai Salifu, Chairman of the University Council observed that the yearly budgetary allocations from government to the UDS were inadequate, as compared to other well endowed universities.

He urged government to take a second look at the annual budgetary allocations, adding that: "It will not be out of place to call for positive discrimination by government in favour of the UDS in the yearly allocation of resources to our public universities".

He said a programme in Forensic science would be introduced at the Navrongo campus of the UDS next academic year and would be delivered at three levels: Master of Science, postgraduate diploma and certificate program. 11 Dec. 10