P.F.L. holds UK Educational Fair

STORY BY WILLIAM BEEKO

Preparation For Life (PFL), an acclaimed educational consultancy organization based in the UK has held the maiden edition of its UK Educational Fair in Ghana at a colourful ceremony at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel in Accra.

The educational fair aimed among other things at bringing world class universities from the UK to Ghana to exhibit their services to give opportunities to Ghanaians who want to school or further their education in the UK to make all necessary enquiries involving university applications, visa applications and admission procedures.

The educational fair also provided up-to date information in all areas of further education in the UK on prospectuses, audio-visual materials, application forms, accommodation guidance, visa counseling and pre-departure briefings on student life in the UK.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the educational fair, the Minister of Education, Mr. Alex Tettey Enyo, said the state is mandated under the 1992 Constitution of Ghana to make all necessary endeavours to provide among others university education for all Ghanaians who are capable of pursuing such education.

“This is an acknowledgment of the fact that in order to achieve our developmental goals, Ghana needs more university graduates particularly in Science and Technology,” the Education Minister said.

He observed that the impact of higher education, especially in Science and Technology, has on innovation, technological know how and industrial development cannot be overemphasized.

“In order to be competitive in the current globalized economy, indigenous businesses in Ghana need to be innovative not only to survive local and international competition, but more importantly to grow nationally, regionally and internationally so as to impact the business world,” Mr. Alex Tettey Enyo pointed out.

He noted that universities play significant roles as vital mediums for disseminating information for innovation.

“Consequently, the efforts of government to provide an enabling environment for Ghanaian businesses and industrial development to thrive must operate in tandem with the functions of universities as centres for creating and disseminating knowledge,” the Minister indicated.

Mr. Alex Tettey Enyo said the current levels of student enrolment in both public and private universities in Ghana show an increase of well over 800% as compared to the level of enrolment in the early 1990s.

The Minister underscored that in spite of improvements in access to university and other forms of higher education in Ghana, there still remained substantial numbers of well qualified Ghanaians who are not able to gain admission into the available public and private universities.

“Over the years, pursuit of university education, especially at the postgraduate level, in Europe and the Americas has been an alternative option for quite a number of Ghanaians with much emphasis on education in the UK particularly as the most preferred destinations for Ghanaian students wishing to study abroad,” Mr. Alex Tettey Enyo lamented.

He disclosed that about 80% of Ghanaian students sponsored by the state to further their education in universities outside Ghana between 1999 and 2006 pursued their studies in UK universities.

The Minister was pleased by the range of services that PFL proposes to provide the Ghanaian public which included a range of advice on studying in the UK, university entry requirements and placement and advice on scholarship opportunities.

In an address, the Business Director of the British Council, Mr. Albert Eliason, who stood in for the Director of the British Council Mr. Moses Anibaba, stated that the British Council was honoured to have the PFL team in Ghana to promote UK education in Ghana.

“We wish to congratulate PFL for your bold involvement in promoting UK education at a time when the global economic downturn and new entry clearance regulations are posing real challenges to delivery of our common objectives,” he noted.

He underscored that in the face of these challenges the second phase of the British Prime Minister’s Initiative for International Education (PMI) still concentrates on international student recruitment as a key strand with an ambitious target of recruiting an additional 100,000 international students to the UK that is 70,000 in Higher Education and 30,000 in Further Education.

“To achieve the PMI objectives, the British Council has over the years worked closely with the few local agents to promote UK education in Ghana,” Mr. Albert Eliason said, adding that “the emerging trends require that in going forward to achieve the PMI 2 ambitious targets we provide a much more active role in the development of quality agents and build the capacity of agents and staffs work in the frontline on behalf of UK education as well as assist in developing their relationship with customers as marketing partners and increase the number and effectiveness as well as the quality of agents working on behalf of UK providers.”

He observed that the significant importance of UK education has been the UK Alumni who come back to take up senior positions in public and private organizations and those who come back to teach at universities, schools and colleges in Ghana.

Mr. Albert Eliason pointed out that the UK educational fair is about cultural relations and development and a contribution to the continuing good relations between the UK and Ghana.