Ms. Heartwill Tamakloe Sworn into Office as GRASAG National President
Ms. Heartwill Selasi Tamakloe, a Master of Philosophy, Home Economics Education Student of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), who won the Graduate Students’ Association of Ghana (GRASAG) National Presidency Election at its 26th Annual National Delegates Congress, has been sworn into office.
The handing over ceremony, the 27th edition of GRASAG, took place at the largest auditorium of UEW, the Jophus Anamuah-Mensah Conference Centre on Saturday, 6th February, 2021. The programme also witnessed the swearing-in of five other elected executives. They are Mr. Benjamin Ntim Yeboah (Vice-President), Mr. Samuel Gyandoh Panti (General Secretary), Mr. Jacob Yeboah Boamah (Financial Controller), Mr. Kenneth Arthur Yamoah (Organising Coordinator), and Ms. Nancy Oforiwaa Peprah (Gender Commissioner).
Ms. Heartwill Tamakloe, in her inaugural speech, commended Government for the implementation of measures to mitigate the plight of Ghanaians on the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the six months free water, 50% electricity waiver, 50% tax-free holding for health workers and 50% basic salary adjustment for frontline workers.
She, however, pleaded with Government to absorb admission and tuition fees for tertiary students for the 2021/2022 academic year. “This should form part of Government’s National COVID-19 Relief Programme. The fact remains that many parents and some students have lost their jobs due to the economic consequence of the outbreak of this pandemic. This gesture will, therefore, go a long way to alleviate the burdens of all stakeholders.”
The GRASAG National President prayed for lost souls and also sympathised with bereaved families who lost their beloved ones as a result of the dreadful COVID-19 pandemic.
Ms. Heartwill Tamakloe declared her intentions to work with universities and the central government as a matter of urgency to identify strategic funding partners to augment Graduate Students’ access to accommodation facilities, abolish the privatisation of some traditional halls of residence in some public universities and establish a strategic plan to secure external funding for the construction of new halls of residence and office for Graduate Students.
The 27th President assured members of the Association that her administration would do everything possible to make GRASAG more visible and a national asset capable of offering development opportunities through collaborative research and strategic partnership.
“This is geared towards making the association work beyond the payment of bursaries, to the state of offering alternative policies to critical national issues. Despite our challenges as an association, with the support of my able Local Presidents, NEC, Senate and all members of GRASAG as well as other stakeholders, we shall surely deliver on our mandate,” she stated.
The Vice-Dean of Student Affairs, UEW, Dr. Juliana Daniels, who chaired the ceremony on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor of UEW, Rev. Fr. Prof. Anthony Afful-Broni, urged the new executive to sacrifice, contribute to social development, be patriotic, be accountable, and be just in their administration.
The Deputy Registrar, School of Graduate Studies, UEW, Mr. Jerry Addison Anyan, in a speech delivered on behalf of the Dean of Graduate Studies, UEW, Prof. George Kankam, noted that post-graduate education is increasingly becoming important to the development of nations. He, therefore, charged post-graduate students to engage in more rigorous studies, critical thinking, wide reading, analysis and good writing skills to become problem solvers to the world.
Also present at the ceremony were the immediate past GRASAG National President, Mr. Samuel Sagoe; Local Presidents and Executive Members, UEW Lecturers and Graduate Students.
