Tertiary institutions requested to review admissions for agricultural programmes

Mr Ernest Akubuor Debrah, former Minister of Food and Agriculture, in the erstwhile New Patriotic Party regime, has proposed a review of the mode of admissions for agricultural-based programmes in tertiary institutions.

He said this would prevent Agricultural Science graduates from pursuing careers in other fields due to the lack of interest in agriculture activities.

Mr Debrah expressed worry that “About 90% of Ghana’s agricultural scientists after graduation almost have nothing to do with the agricultural sector, and readily opt to take up challenges in other fields to the detriment of the sustainable development and growth of the sector”.

He was speaking at a lecture on “Sixty Years of Higher Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources in Ghana; Impacts and Challenges”, at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), in Kumasi, as part of the 60 years anniversary celebration of the KNUST.

Mr Debrah said that government was investing in the agriculture sector, but agricultural science graduates failed to adequately contribute to the development of the sector.

He suggested to tertiary institutions to consider offering substantial quota of admissions for agricultural-based programmes to students from the rural areas.

Mr Debrah explained that because such students already had knowledge and practical experience in farming, they were likely to return to the rural areas to help improve agriculture.

He said “agriculture has in recent times become more knowledge-based due to advancement in technology and, therefore, we should continually explore avenues to train more agricultural professionals, who really have passion for the sector.”

Professor William Otoo Ellis, Vice-Chancellor of the KNUST, affirmed the University’s commitment to training the needed human resource to spearhead Ghana’s development agenda to bring comfort to the people.

Source: GNA