Former Member of Council of State wants university to be name after late President Mills

Mr. J.H. Owusu-Acheampong, a former Member of the Council of State, has called on President John Dramani Mahama to consider renaming the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) after late President John Evans Atta Mills. He said the late President played an important role towards the establishment of the university and that the best honour Ghanaians could bestow on him was to name the University after him. Mr Owusu-Acheampong made the call at the maiden speech and prize giving day of Methodist Senior High and Technical School at Baidan in the Berekum Municipality. The ceremony, which also marked the 15th anniversary of the school, was on the theme "Technical and Vocational education: a prerequisite for national development". Mr Owusu-Acheampong said before his demise, the establishment of the University was dear to the heart of late President Mills. He also suggested that considering the instrumental role late Prime Minister Kofi Abrefa Busia played in the establishment of the University of Education, Winneba, it would be appropriate if the government names the university after him. Mr Owusu-Acheampong praised the school's headmaster and staff for their effort that had led the school to that level. Mr Emmanuel Kwadwo Nsiah, the Headmaster of the school, said with an initial 35 students in 1998, the school now has a population of 1,620. He said in 2012 West African Senior High School Examination (WASSCE), the school presented 303 candidates and 288 of them had eight passes and none of them failed. Mr Nsiah appealed to the government to complete the GETFund projects in the school. Professor Gyan Fordjour, Rector of the Sunyani Polytechnic, said technical and vocational education could help students to gain employable skills on completion and called on the government to give it a priority.