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Former President John Dramani Mahama said the next NDC government will provide free laptops to higher education students to facilitate participation in virtual classes.
The next NDC government will also establish free Wi-Fi zones in all public and private tertiary institutions; and support tertiary institutions to invest in virtual infrastructure.
The NDC in its People’s Manifesto of the 2020 Elections under the subtitle; “Providing globally competitive and quality education,” he said it will also provide free tertiary education for people with disabilities.
It will also absorb 50 percent of higher education student fees for the 2020/2021 academic year as an incentive to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on students and parents.
The NDC said that if the Public Universities Bill is enacted before January 7, 2020, it will repeal it to allow public universities to exercise the autonomy vested in them by the Constitution.
The NDC said it will strengthen the regulatory role of the National Council for Tertiary Education; Encourage shared laboratory experiences, especially for those in science and technology programs, and include private tertiary institutions.
It will complete the conversion of all polytechnics into technical universities (TU) in accordance with our original vision of creating opportunities for professional mobility of professionals.
The next NDC government will reposition the TUs to produce labor relevant to national development; equip all the ‘Amatrol Laboratories’ and provide adequate training both at home and abroad for instructors.
It will also operationalize the National Research Fund, expand medical education, train physician assistants, nurses and midwives, and preventive health professionals to maintain free primary health care for all, and improve inter-institutional staff exchanges, especially among distinguished and experienced professionals.
The NDC explained that it will encourage and support private investment in infrastructure, especially for student accommodation and transportation; create equal opportunities for women and people with special needs; and establish universities in the six new regions.
It will maintain the status quo regarding the payment of subsidies for nursing teachers and apprentices; abolish compulsory teacher licensure and national service exams for graduates of education colleges; and restore the automatic employment of newly trained teachers.
On Legal Education, the NDC explained that it would vigorously reform and expand access to professional legal education and provide opportunities to all qualified LLB holders by accrediting certified law schools to take the professional law qualification course.
It will review the Law of the Legal Profession in consultation with the interested parties and will establish a Council of Legal Education and Training to accredit certified law schools to teach the Professional Law Course subject to the supervision of the Council.
It will also establish a law school in the Northern Region to serve the northern sector.
The next NDC government will also provide resources to the Student Loan Trust Fund to make timely and adequate payments to students; increase student loans to match current educational costs; and abolish the requirement for guarantors as a precondition for accessing student loans to allow more students in need of financial assistance to access the loan.
The next NDC government will replace the guarantor eligibility system with the possession of a recognized National Identity Card to facilitate post-school follow-up tracking and loan recovery; extend the loan repayment period to 10 years, inclusive; a three-year moratorium to begin repaying.
The NDC said it would remove all impediments to students’ ability to easily access facilities; extend coverage to students in public and private tertiary institutions and reintroduce the ‘SLTF Plus’ to allow students to access loans upon admission.
— GNA
