The document presents recommendations from the National Union of Ghana Students' Secretariat for Further Education to enhance the educational experience of Ghanaian students, focusing on visionary leadership and actionable plans. Key proposals include increasing bursary allocations, implementing skills training, improving research funding, and addressing the prolonged duration of postgraduate programs. The recommendations aim to create a more supportive academic environment and ensure that students are better prepared for future challenges in their educational and career paths.

1. 57TH
NATIONAL UNION OF GHANA STUDENTS
SECRETARIAT FOR FURTHER EDUCATION
SUBMISSIVE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE VISIONARY ACTIVITIES
OF THE SECRETARIAT FOR FURTHER EDUCATION AS STIPULATED
IN THE REPORT BY HON. DAVID KWAKU XEFU
BY
HON. SUCCESS PRINCE DUAH MENSAH
(EXECUTIVE MEMBER)

2. Today, Thursday, 8th
February 2024, I would like to submit self- effacing recommendations
on the visionary activities of the Secretariat for Further Education of the National Union of
Ghana Students as stipulated in a report by the chairman, Hon. David Kwaku Xefu. It is
not the usual rhetoric which is full of grammar yet unachievable within the period of
service. I write not in my own interest nor the interest of my university of affiliation but I
write in the sole interest of all Ghanaian students who are studying hard and trusting God
to successfully migrate to the various tertiary institutions. Indeed, Vision is important and
its considered as the pillar and bedrock for bringing about innovation in any association.
Without appropriate vision, all goes wild. It is the drive way through which institutions can
take to reach greater heights. The recommendations have been structured as follows:
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Leaders like to act in the designation of the coming time and not just for the time being
(Sashkin et al., 1993). Competition that has arisen among various student groups in the
universities in Ghana, the issue of effective policy and its implementation, curriculum
change and innovation, the introduction of new programmes that are market driven, among
others, are issues that can be solved through visionary leadership and activities. Emerging
concerns like bursary allocation for graduate students, skills training, research fund for
graduate students, policies on welfare and health, transit from traditional pedagogy to
digitized learner- centred pedagogy and the need for e- learning, call for leadership with a
long sight (Eddy and VanDerLinden, 2006). The need for visionary leadership and
activities arises in such contexts.

3. 1.2 VISION (ACTION PLAN) AS HIGHLIGHTED IN THE REPORT
The following are the proposed vision (action plan) for the Secretariat for Further
Education as stipulated by the Committee Chairman, Hon. David Kwaku Xefu:
i. Increment in Bursary Allocation for Graduate Students
The GRASAG Bursary that is given to graduate students to aid in their research work is
nothing to write home about. We will liaise with GRASAG National to lobby and push
the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat for an increment in the bursary allocations to various
graduate students in the country.
ii. Skills Training
Skills training is very important in our development and as graduate students, we need
skills for various reasons, including navigating the complexities of academia and building
strong networks. By attending workshops, conferences, and seminars, graduate students
have the opportunity to interact with fellow researchers, experts in their field, and potential
collaborators. These connections can be invaluable for future collaborations, mentorship,
and career advancement. Skills training equips graduate students with transferable skills
that are valuable in the workforce. For example, communication skills, project
management skills, and teamwork skills are essential in various professional settings.
iii. Making Further Education lucrative in Ghana
Again, with necessary support from the national officers, especially the President, we need
to begin a conversation with the national scholarship secretariat to put lucrative
scholarships and special incentives in place for more students to find it enables them to
settle in Ghana for their further studies.
iv. Research Fund
With the support and intervention of Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) to
set up a research fund. Although GNPC provides scholarships for graduate students across
various institutions in the country, it will be prudent to set up a research fund to support

4. ground breaking research in STEM. This will help facilitate and also motivate various
research works and students.
v. Dialogue on Spending Several Years to Complete School
Indeed, it is an open secret that instead of spending two years for the Master of Philosophy
(MPhil) programme, many students spend not less than three years. This we believe is a
canker and one of the main reasons why most Ghanaian students would prefer a
postgraduate course or programme abroad to that of Ghana. With the support of GRASAG
National, we shall present to GTEC and other important stakeholders to look into this
particular challenge for redress.
vi. Policies on Welfare and Health
Policies on welfare and health for graduate students are designed to support and prioritize
their well- being throughout their academic journey. These policies aim to address various
aspects of their physical, mental, and emotional health. Some common policies enrolled
include health insurance, work- life balance, accessibility and accommodations, and
counselling services.
1.3 RECOMMENDATIONS
I write to make submissive recommendations to the report stipulated by the chairman for
Further Education, Hon. David Kwaku Xefu. The question that I asked myself before the
recommendations was, “what can we do as a Secretariat with little or no funding or least
budgetary allocation?” The visionary activities must therefore be such that it is realistic
and achievable within the period. On that note, the recommendations include:

5. a. Acquisition of 21st
Century Skills to become Creative Problem- Solving
Entrepreneurs
The secretariat should not just be interested in the acquisition of skills but notable modern
skills that are relevant to industry and the job market; acquisition of 21st
Century Skills to
become Creative Problem- Solving Entrepreneurs. Skills such as listening skills,
collaborative skills and writing skills have been taught in classrooms for decades. Yet, as
the demands of our changing economy rise, we must include 21st
century skills to our
strategic plan to prepare Ghanaian students for the job market and industry and life in
general. It is not about what others can do for we students, but largely what we can also
contribute to society; and this largely calls for relevant 21st
Century Skills such as critical
thinking, communication, creativity, innovative, technology and digital literacy, media
literacy, social and global awareness.
Furthermore, we can collaborate with the various local NUGS across the universities in
Ghana to organize conferences, seminars and workshops on soap making, designing of
beads, making yogurt, Microsoft office, Graphic design, Data Analysis, programming,
driving, among others. These initiatives do not cost much and can be solely financed by
the local NUGS in collaboration with their respective SRCs.
b. Properly Accessing the allocation of Bursary Funds
As Secretariat for Further Education, I believe we should not just call for increment in the
allocation of bursary funds, but rather, we should encourage GRASAG NATIONAL to
properly analyse or audit the entire system to know the number of beneficiaries per term,
the amount they received, the ghost names and fair distribution across the various
universities. Once the system has been properly scrutinized, I believe we would have
enough funds to equally distribute to various GRASAG students in Ghana. Please, for now,

6. lets assist the Secretariat to ensure equal distribution among GRASAG students in the
various universities in Ghana.
c. Making Further Education Lucrative
The question is, “how do we make further education lucrative in Ghana?” The only way to
make further education lucrative in Ghana is when we put in place a smooth evident- based
support to transit students from the various second cycle institutions to tertiary education.
And how do we achieve this? Remember, the Secretariat does not have money to fund their
entire further education but we can collaborate with stakeholders and take the first bold
step to buy application forms for as many needy students across the various 16 regions in
Ghana as possible. Once they are admitted, the Secretariat for Further Education also roll
such individuals on the Undergraduate GETFund Scholarship. This is a project that can
certainly touch many lives, and I, together with my Honorable Member of Parliament for
the Nhyiaeso Constituency have been doing that and results are beautiful.
d. Creating Structures to enhance GRASAG Students Research Skills and
securing Funding from Industry
I am happy with the call for Research Funds for GRASAG Students. Nevertheless, the
Secretariat should collaborate with the various local NUGS and Teaching Assistants of the
various Universities to organize workshops and seminars on the overview of research and
research skills and some applications in data analysis in order for GRASAG Students to
produce high quality research papers and not just add to the stock.
Once the above has been achieved, we can go further to seek sponsorship or scholarship to
cover the research works. Remember, industry would like to see the relevance of these
research works and how it influences society.

7. e. Dialogue on Spending Several Years to Complete School
With regards to the number of years that we spend in School, the University has a standard
which is not limited to the laws and regulations in Ghana but also conforms to the best
practices and standards in the world. We must sensitize our students to cooperate with the
Universities in order to graduate in record time. It all call for assistance. We need to put up
with systems to assist students especially when they get to level 300 and final year where
the workload seems difficult.
I am currently assisting a lot of university students with their research proposals and thesis
and I have been doing this for years. And I am fortunate to have assisted a lot of students
to successfully complete their programmes who doing very well in industry. So instead of
calling for reduction of the years in school, lets encourage and support our students to sit
up, cooperate and complete their education in record time. And they can do it. Last year
alone, I had over 60 Certificates, both locally and internationally from Universities,
Industries and Organisations.
i. Counselling Services
The Secretariat for Further Education should collaborate with the various Local NUGS to
consistently counsel students and this should be made accessible, professional, confidential
and free of charge with the sole aim of enabling students to complete their academic and
personal goals.
THE “WE CARE” PROJECTS
May I take the opportunity to select two of my recommendations, which I believe is
transformative and geared towards improving the lives of the Ghanaian student. I call it,
the “WE CARE” projects. The truth is that, we cannot do everything within the designated

8. period in office but we can do certain things that would live forever. The “We Care”
projects include:
i. Acquisition of 21st
Century Skills to become Creative Problem-
Solving Entrepreneurs
Honestly, government does not and would not have the capacity to accommodate the rising
number of graduates into various public sector institutions so the secretariat should focus
on assistant young students to take hold of the future. This is not just about acquisition of
skills but notable modern skills that are relevant to industry and the job market; acquisition
of 21st
Century Skills to become Creative Problem- Solving Entrepreneurs. We need to
forcefully create a new generation of Entrepreneurs!! Skills such as listening skills,
collaborative skills and writing skills have been taught in classrooms for decades. Yet, as
the demands of our changing economy rise, we must include 21st
century skills to our
strategic plan to prepare Ghanaian students for the job market and industry and life in
general. It is not about what others can do for we students, but largely what we can also
contribute to society; and this largely calls for relevant 21st
Century Skills such as critical
thinking, communication, creativity, innovative, technology and digital literacy, media
literacy, social and global awareness.
Furthermore, we can collaborate with the stakeholders to organize conferences, seminars
and workshops on soap making, designing of beads, making yogurt, drinks and ice cream,
Microsoft office, Graphic design, Data Analysis, programming, driving, among others.
And finally assisting such individuals to register their businesses and supporting its growth.

9. ii. “Won so b3ko VAS” Initiative
The “Won so b3ko VAS” initiative is an angel project for the Secretariat for Further
Education of the National Union of Ghana Students. This initiative is to successfully assist
second cycle students to migrate to the various tertiary institutions and colleges in the
country. Though the Secretariat may not have the money to fund this initiative but we can
partner with the University Students Association of Ghana (USAG), Students
Representative Councils, local NUGS and Industry, and make the bold decision of buying
the application forms for as many needy but brilliant students across the 16 regions of
Ghana as possible. Once they gained admission, we now move to next stage of enrolling
them into GETFund for their undergraduate studies. Someone said small is beautiful so we
may not be able to fund the forms for everybody but we may successfully assist many to
further their education. And YES WE CAN.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, I believe the above recommendations would add up to the other
suggestions made by the leadership of the Secretariat and would significantly
promote the welfare of the Ghanaian child. May God bless our homeland Ghana and
make us great and strong.
SIGNED
SUCCESS PRINCE DUAH MENSAH
(EXECUTIVE MEMBER, SECRETARIAT FOR FURTHER EDUCATION)