A former Rector of Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Professor Yaw Agyeman Badu, has called on Ghanaians to support the free Senior High School (SHS) policy initiated by the Akufo-Addo government in 2017.

Delivering the keynote address at the 24^th Congregation ceremony of the Ghana Technology University College (GTUC) themed “Becoming a Public University’s Expectation and Responsibilities of GTUC for Ghana’s Economic Development”, he indicated that the policy will assist citizens particularly the needy students, to have access to education.

"This will systematically build human capacity in this country," he said.

He also stated, "for an individual who could not have gone to secondary school without the benefit of Cocoa Marketing Board Scholarship, I am an advocate of free SHS policy."

The former Rector of GIMPA noted that education is a key driver of technological development which promotes economic growth and makes lives easier.

"To be able to improve standards of living conditions at any level, in a small community or the entire nation the productivity of individuals within the society must increase," he stated.

Prof. Agyeman Badu further charged the management of GTUC to move away from “book-based” and theological learning and adopt practical and innovative forms of education to assist students to meet the technological requirement in recent times.  

He further congratulated the students and urged them to maximise the opportunities presented to them for the benefit of the country.

“Education in the classroom is necessary but not sufficient. You need to develop your professional and practical capacity as much as possible,” he advised.

GTUC President, Professor Emmanuel Ohene Afoakwa in his speech, petitioned government to help the University College to help speed up proceedings and passage of the GTUC bill in Parliament.

He was hopeful that should the bill be passed into law, the University will become autonomous to issue its own certificates

He also asked the government to support the tertiary institution with infrastructure and laboratories that will facilitate teaching and learning as “we welcome the first batch of the free SHS graduates.”

He then urged the graduands to have the capacity to develop and create employment for themselves.

“I encourage you to continuously aspire to improve yourselves, challenge yourselves, build new knowledge and most of all, do not accept the status quo.”

The GTUC 24^th Congregation ceremony conferred PhD, Graduates, Undergraduates and Diploma certificates on a total of 1,243 individuals.