The Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has laid before Parliament five Bills seeking to establish five new universities in the country. 

The Bills include the University of Mampong Bill, 2024; the University of Health, Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kintampo Bill, 2024; the University of Engineering and Applied Sciences Bill, 2024; the University of Engineering and Agricultural Sciences, Bunso Bill, 2024; and the University of Local Governance and Development Bill, 2024. 

Dr Adutwum noted that the University of Mampong would combine Mampong Technical College and the Mampong Campus of the Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development. 

He reiterated that this was to ensure effective management by ensuring that the organization had a local structure, instead of being an affiliate or a branch of the Appiah-Menka University in Kumasi. 

"Mr Speaker, over the years we've seen that Appiah-Menka used to be part of University of Education, Winneba, and it became independent. So, this is part of the school's reorganisation to ensure efficiency," the Minister stated. 

"Mr Speaker, the University at Kintampo has been there for years, a College of Health Sciences, we believe that given its track record, it can be upgraded into a University." 

He said the University of Engineering and Applied Sciences to be sited in the Ahafo Region was an opportunity for the Ahafo Region to have a university on a campus with all the requisite infrastructure, which would add value to our country. 

"Mr Speaker, we have the Bunso, which is going to be an Engineering and Agricultural Science is also to add value to the stock of universities we have in this country and especially as it applies to enhancing Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in this country." 

He said all these universities focus on engineering and health sciences and will add more to the stock of universities the nation has and to increase its gross tertiary enrolment ratio. 

"As it is now, there are about 22 percent, which is not bad for a sub-Saharan African country, but we know that irreversible development occurs when you can move the gross section enrollment ratio up to about 60 percent," Dr Adutwum stated. 

"So, Mr Speaker, this is in line with the efforts of this government and past governments to ensure that we can increase our gross tertiary enrollment ratio." 

Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, the Minority Leader, expressed concerns about the lack of briefing on the fiscal implications of the bills, considering the limited time for a change in government. 

He reiterated that the Oti Region and the Western North Region were still not having universities; saying "And so, if the intention is to have a university in every region, then there is the need for us to urgently consider Oti and Western North Regions as well". 

"But Mr Speaker, the only concern I have is that we have four months into the next election and five universities being done, and the fiscal implementation is not well known and so in the explanatory notes the Minister should have added the fiscal implications to the new universities that they intend to establish. 

"Because it is not just a university by name, but you will have to provide amenities, you have to provide serious infrastructure to befit a university. How are you funding it? It is only right that you should have added the state of fiscal implications, and what you intend doing, going into the establishment of these universities."