The University of Cape Coast (UCC) has held a ceremony to launch the Institute
for Educational Planning and Administration (IEPA) as a UNESCO Category II
Centre of Excellence for West Africa.
Present to launch the IEPA as a UNESCO Category II Centre of Excellence was
the Minister of Education and Member of Parliament for Bosomtwe, Hon. Dr. Yaw
Osei Adutwum.
Hon. Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum indicated that although a lot had been done in the
last four years to develop the educational system, much was still needed to create a
robust system that would stand the test of time.
He said, “In the fourth industrial revolution, education is everything. You do your
education well and your nation transforms. If you lag behind in education, you
disappear from the competition.” He also noted that the educational sector had to
begin to look at how the humanities would be enhanced, not for recall of
knowledge, but for creativity for the children in schools today.
Addressing the University as a citadel of education in the country and a place
where learning thrived, he called upon the support of UCC and the IEPA to help
forge ahead for a robust educational system that would transform the fortunes of
the country.
The Vice-Chancellor of UCC, Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong in his acceptance
remarks as the Chairperson of the ceremony, outlined the mandate of the IEPA. He
said, “The IEPA is mandated to build capacity of the workforce in the education
sector in the West African Sub-Region in the areas of Educational Planning,
Leadership, and Administration, as well as mobilize international and regional
experts to provide technical assistance and policy advice to support sector-wide
planning and policy development.” He pledged his support to see to the realisation
of IEPA’s mandate.
He indicated that the University of Cape Coast, being the first University in Ghana
to have its Institute elevated to a UNESCO Category II Status, owed it to itself to
guard such an enviable position religiously and deliver results for posterity.
Prof. Boampong expressed heartfelt gratitude to His Excellency Nana Addo
Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana, and the Ministry of
Education for their support in the upgrade.
The Director-General of IEPA Dr. Michael Boakye-Yiadom on his part, expressed
gratitude to government, UNESCO and the University of Cape Coast and indicated
that the IEPA will use their collaborations to work towards the achievement of
SDG 4. “We are grateful to former and current governments of Ghana, former and
current leadership at the Ministry of Education, former and current Vice-
Chancellors and their Management Teams, and former Directors of IEPA for their
selfless contributions and support for IEPA. IEPA values the UCC, Ministry of
Education, and UNESCO affiliations and with our ‘building bridges-relationships
matter’ campaign, we are optimistic that together with strategic planning, we will
achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 4”, Prof. Boakye-Yiadom stated.
The UNESCO Ghana Country Representative, Mr. Abdourahamane Diallo,
explained that education was at the heart of the UNESCO mission to build peace,
eradicate poverty, and drive sustainable development. He pointed out that the
approval of the IEPA as a Centre has now made it a member of the global network
of 15 UNESCO Education Sector Category II Centres.
Also present at the ceremony was the Deputy Minister of Education, the Pro Vice-
Chancellor of UCC, the Registrar of UCC, the Director-General - Commission for
TVET, the Central Regional Director of Education, Deputy Director Generals of
IEPA, Provosts, Members of the IEPA Governing Board, IEPA Management,
Deans, Directors, Heads of Department, Staff, Alumni and current students of
IEPA, and the National President of the Ghana Association of University
Administrators (GAUA).