Professor Yayra Dzakadzie, the Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), said the 22 per cent upgrade in the country’s Gross Tertiary Enrollment Ratio (GTER) from 20 per cent last year, is commendable.
He said the progress aligned with the nation’s target of achieving a GTER of 40 per cent by 2030, a crucial milestone for Ghana’s development trajectory.
Professor Dzakadzie was speaking at the investiture of Professor John Owusu, the Vice-Chancellor of the Koforidua Technical University.
He said tertiary education played a vital role in the development of any nation and studies had shown that workers with some form of tertiary education contributed to about 60 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in developed countries.
“This is why countries with GTER above 40 per cent tend to develop at a faster pace,” he said.
Having a higher GTER would not only improve the country’s economy but also provide students with the opportunity to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to meet the demands of the 21st-century workforce, he noted.
“The focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education is paramount, preparing students for the fourth industrial revolution.”
Prof Dzakadzie applauded the Commission’s achievement of the Science to Humanity ratio of 43:57 as a testament to new strategies and programmes adopted to meet current industry trends and demands.
The Commission stood firm in ensuring that Ghanaians had access to quality tertiary education, he said, and called on all stakeholders to join hands in turning that commitment into reality.
As per the World Bank’s reports, gross enrollment ratio for tertiary school was determined by dividing the number of students enrolled in tertiary education by the population of the corresponding age group, and then multiplying by 100.
