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Government has said that plans are underway for the establishment of an Environment University at Somanya in the Eastern Region. Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah, Deputy Minister of Education disclosed this on Monday during a public forum in Accra. Dubbed �Advancing the Better Ghana Agenda: Prospects for 2014,� the forum formed part of activities marking the first anniversary of President John Dramani Mahama�s government. Mr Ablakwa disclosed that the chiefs and people of Somanya had made land available for the commencement of the university project. He said creation of an Environment University was in fulfillment of the National Democratic Congress� (NDC) electoral promise of establishing one public university in every region of the country; adding that, the government would keep faith with the electorate by providing quality, affordable and equitable education for all. According to Mr Ablakwah, the University of Ghana and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology had won International Excellence Awards for research, worth eight million dollars each, which he said had brought honour to the country. He said government had decided to cancel the payment of allowances to teacher trainees, explaining that GH�57,000,000.00 was spent annually for trainee allowances; hence government�s decision to restrict their intake. He said following the cancellation of teacher trainee-allowances, colleges of education were permitted to admit students based on their capacities, adding that, from an intake of 9,000 students in the 2012/2013 academic year, admissions had shot up to over 15,000 for the 2013/2014 academic year. The Deputy Education Minister said government was on course to establish 10 new colleges of education to help boost enrollment in the teaching profession. According to him, in line with government�s vision of creating 200 new senior high schools, priority would be placed on deprived newly created district assemblies and districts with over-subscribed schools, adding that, government would ensure that no SHS had an enrollment of more that 1,500 students. He added that 50 of such new schools to be set-up were placed on tender last year and that another 50 would also be placed on tender this year. Dr Edward Kofi Omane-Boamah, Minister of Communications said in 2013 over two million new subscribers of SIM cards were registered; adding that, work on the fibre optic network line from Ho to Bawku to bring internet services to the door-steps of the people there, was progressing smoothly. According to him, infrastructural works such as road works, water works and electricity were on-going. He mentioned the Kwame Nkrumah interchange and the Awoshie-Pokuase road all in Accra, as well as expansion works on the Kpone water treatment plants and the Akyem Oda Water works, among others. Dr Omane-Boamah said government in 2013 ensured that works on the Bui Dam was brought to a successful completion leading to its commission.