The Parliamentary Select Committee on Education has praised the Management of the Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED) for the expeditious manner it is adjusting and adapting to the University’s new mandate.

AAMUSTED has four key mandates: to provide higher education in technical, vocational, and entrepreneurial training to develop skilled manpower for job creation and economic development; to train and provide teachers with the relevant competencies for teaching in technical and vocational education and training institutions; train and provide teachers with the relevant competence for teaching entrepreneurial development, and to develop strong linkages between the University and industry or the community to ensure the holistic training of teachers.

The Chairman and the Members of the Committee generally indicated satisfaction about the goings-on in AAMUSTED when they visited the University’s Main Campus in Kumasi on August 18, 2021 as part of the Committee’s tour of various TVET institutions in the country to gather firsthand information about the real conditions there.

The Committee Chairman, Honourable Kwabena Amankwa Asiamah, shared the view of the Deputy Ranking Member of the Committee, Hon. Clement Abas Apaak that AAMUSTED’s adaptation to its new mandate was impressive.

Hon. Asiamah encouraged AAMUSTED Management to continue working hard on its mandate even as they prioritized the consultation and collaboration with other universities to add value and improve fast.

He described the continuous dependence of Ghana on imported goods for survival as unfortunate, something he observed as a contributor to the devaluation of the currency of the country.

He expressed the hope that AAMUSTED would become a great help to the country as it works to solve the unemployment challenges, go into the production of items like basic spare parts for vehicles and widen the economy for improved living condition in Ghana.

Hon. Apaak, particularly, heaped praises on the AAMUSTED Management for the giant strides the University was already making or planning to make. The Deputy Ranking Member said the University would be justified to request for more resources to improve the conditions.

The Ranking Member of the Committee, Hon. Peter Nortsu-Kotoe also applauded the Management for the way it was deploying the University’s Internally-Generated Fund (IGF). He stressed the need for the Managements of Universities to find means other than the government to fund projects.

Hon. Nortsu-Kotoe cautioned against the evil of abandoning projects began by previous administrations for new ones that are often not completed. “Do a project at a time because you might not have adequate funds at any given time,” he advised.

Ahead of conducting the Committee members and their entourage from the Ministry of Education (MoE), Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET), and the E-Voucher Project to various workshops and laboratories in AAMUSTED, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Frederick K. Sarfo, welcomed and briefed the team on the conditions pertaining in AAMUSTED.

He touched on staff and student statistics, available facilities, on-going projects, planned projects, challenges, and the fact that the University is in dire need of a new resourced library befitting of a University, halls of residence for students, and lecture blocks.

He, therefore, appealed to the government and other well-meaning individuals and organisations to come to the aid of AAMUSTED.

He also thanked the government and the MPs for their respective roles towards the establishment of AAMUSTED. The Kumasi and Asante Mampong Campuses of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) were converted to the fully-fledged autonomous University called Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED) in 2020.