The Vice-President of Christ Apostolic University (CAUC), Prof. Clement Somua, has challenged universities to adopt best teaching practices that will help to produce graduates who are critical thinkers.

He said university education should not produce graduates who would only reproduce what they had been taught in school adding that “they should be innovative and contribute meaningfully to transform society”

Prof. Somua was speaking at the opening ceremony of a training workshop organised by the University of Cape Coast for seven affiliate institutions at CACUC in Kumasi.  He said there were so many problems in the country but wondered whether the universities were helping to solve them “I want us to train students who will look at the problems and solve it for us otherwise we have a problem as a nation, “he said.  He commended the UCC for leading the way by training lecturers in its affiliate institutions to adopt best teaching methods, assessment of students and research supervision. “You must innovate and lead us in the way we set questions, moderate exams questions and other academic activities,” he added.

The workshop brought together seven institutions affiliated to UCC comprising the host CAUC, College of Integrated Health Care; Ear, Nose and Throat Nursing School, Kwadaso Agriculture College, School of  Anaesthesia , Sefwi Asafo Nursing Training College and School of Dispensing Optics, Oyoko.

In his remarks, the Head of Institutional Affiliation, Mr. Justice Agyenim K. G. A Boateng, said the essence of the workshop was to challenge the status quo. He said a similar training had been organised for lecturers of UCC to streamline and set standards for moderation exercises in affiliate institutions. “This workshop is not to impose what we know on you but it is to help all of us to adopt best practice in ensuring quality in the work we do,” he explained.

Mr. Boateng said UCC as a teaching University would not compromise on quality and would ensure that its affiliate institutions also adhere to this principle. He said the fact that affiliate institutions were not paying for the workshop showed the seriousness management of UCC attached to the training programme.

On behalf of Centre for Teaching Support, Dr. Godwin Aboagye, thanked the lecturers from the seven institutions for turning up in their numbers. He said the topics for the workshop would expose them to best practice of assessing students, conducting research and supervising students’ project work. He called for their cooperation to achieve the objectives of the workshop.

Resource persons for the workshop were Dr. Godwin Aboagye, Dr. Samuel Essien-Baidoo and Dr. Kofi Acheaw Owusu.

A Research Fellow at the Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (IEPA), Dr. Michael Boakye-Yiadom, will be delivering a lecture on the topic “Higher Education in the Ghanaian Context” at a joint symposium by University of Maryland (UMD) and  IEPA today.

The symposium will be streamed live today,16th March, 2018 at 16:00 to 18:30 GMT in Ghana at the IEPA Resource Center (Ground floor of the IEPA/Teaching Practice Building), UCC and 12:00 pm - 2:30 pm EST in the Edward St. John building, room 2208, UMD, USA.

Faculty, students and the general public can also participate in the symposium by clicking here

In January 2018, Dr. Candace M. Moore, Faculty Director of the Higher Education in the Ghanaian Context (HEGC) study abroad programme and Dr. Jillian A. Martin, Co-Instructor for HEGC, led a group of graduate students/higher education staff to Ghana for eleven days.  

Participants had the opportunity to get a worldview understanding beyond Western ideals of social justice education and were engaged in a critical examination of concepts related to power, privilege, and oppression. This was done through their engagement with Ghanaian culture, the country’s approach to higher education especially the role of student affairs and assessment practices in the context of Ghanaian higher education.

The event is co-sponsored by the Commission for the Global Dimensions of Student Development of ACPA College Student Educators International.

The Institute of Education has held the 7^th Excellence Award ceremony for the 2016/17 academic year on the theme “The Teacher: An Agent of National Development”.

Five national and 15 zonal awardees were presented with cash, laptops and printer; and citations.

In his welcome address, the Director of the Institute, Prof. Frederick Ocansey, said the Professional Board of institute has expanded the scope and coverage of the awards by increasing the number of awardees to 20 from the previous 10. This comprises five national award winners and three winners from each of the five zones.

The Director announced that a total of 190 students of the 2016/17 graduating cohort had first class which he described as “a remarkable improvement over the previous results”.  This, he said meant that the ceremony was been held for the “best of the best” adding: “your perseverance and hard work has really paid off”.

Prof. Ocansey reminded them that they were examples to their peers, it was, therefore, expedient for them to continue to demonstrate virtues of hard work, discipline, commitment and respect for others to emulate. “The awards are not just an event, but to encourage others to perform at the same level”.

The Guest Speaker for the occasion, Mr. Lloyd Alexander Djangmah, said teachers had a vital role in nation building because the future was totally in their hands. “They choose to be the fortune builders of the country and if you really want to know how important teachers are to the country, try imagining a nation without them”.

“It will only be a nation of utter chaos, where nobody will step up to make sure the kids get the best education and knowledge to sustain a good healthy life. The nation will no longer be able to progress and the population will suffer”, he stated.

The former Principal of Offinso College of Education, said only the best and most intelligent and competent members of our intelligentsia be allowed to practice the noble profession, bearing in mind that “the quality of a nation depends on the quality of its educational system and its teachers”.

Continuing, the guest speaker said: “In the development of a country, great attention has to paid to education and learning, as well as good morals, and nobody is suited to push or execute this process but the ‘teacher’. Without the teacher, both knowledge and morals would suffer”.

Mr. Djangmah noted that students/pupils were affected by the teacher’s love and affection, his or her character, competence and moral commitment. “Most teachers become role models for their pupils. They try to follow his or her manners, customs, etiquette and style of conversation”.

Concluding, Mr. Djangmah said “A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination and instill a love of learning. Let us remember: One book, one pen, one child and one teacher can change the world”.

Advising the award winners, the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Prof. George K. T. Oduro told the awardees that excellence must not be limited to writing examination alone but must permeate their entire lives so it would affect their pupils and society at large.

Again, he admonished the awardees to humble themselves always since “humility can send them to where money cannot”.

He asked them to use their teaching periods to the benefit of their pupils instead of browsing the internet.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah disclosed that the University through the Institute would provide scholarship to the five national awardees to pursue post diploma degree in basic education. He said they want to desist from the practice where students pursue Diploma in Basic Education but divert to do other courses. “It is not good to do Basic Education then you turn to something else afterwards for post diploma. It must be in the same area”.

The Provost of the College of Education Studies, Prof. Eric Wilmot, who chaired the ceremony, told the awardees to look forward into the future and build the character of the next generation of Ghanaians. Prof. Wilmot was particularly happy that seven out of the awardees were women and said he was looking forward to a time when there would be parity in gender of awardees.