A delegation from Kenya has visited the Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (IEPA) to learn from the Institute's experience as a UNESCO Category II Centre for West Africa.
The delegation comprised representatives from Kenyatta University; the Ministry of Education, Kenya; the UNESCO Regional Office in Nairobi, Kenya; and the National Commission of UNESCO, Kenya.
They were: Prof. Samson Ondigi, Dr. Samuel Mukirae Njihia, Dr. Olivia Opere Achieng-all from Kenyatta University; Ms. Ntheketha Virginia of the UNESCO Regional Office in Nairobi, Kenya; Ms. Nancy Njeri of National Commission of UNESCO, Kenya and Mr. Peter Paul Mungai from Ministry of Education, Kenya.
At a courtesy call to Management of the University, the leader of the delegation, Prof. Samson Ondigi, said Kenyatta University and the University of Cape Coast had a symbiotic relationship over the years. He noted as collaborators, the team deem it prudent to approach UCC to take inspiration from IEPA's success story as a UNESCO Category II so the Kenyatta University could also follow the same path to attain the same status in East Africa.
The Kenyan delegation at the meeting with the Vice-Chancellor
Prof. Ondigi was confident that the visit would create opportunities for them to tap into the wealth of expertise of colleagues at IEPA to help them succeed in that endeavour.
Welcoming the officials to the University of Cape Coast, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong, also recounted the long-standing relationship between UCC and Kenyatta University and indicated UCC's commitment to the existing relationship and future partnerships.
Prof. Boampong assured the delegation that management of IEPA was prepared to support and share its experience as well as procedures the Institute went through to attain its current status with them He was optimistic that the engagement session with IEPA would serve as a stepping stone to achieve the objective of the delegation.
Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong
In his remarks, the Director-General of IEPA, Dr. Michael Boakye-Yiadom, noted that it took the dedication and commitment of the Ministry of Education of Ghana and management of UCC to attain the status of UNESCO Category II status. He noted that there were only few UNESCO Category II centres across the world and UCC was one of the few centres in Africa.
The IEPA team with the Kenyan delegation
He assured the delegation of the IEPA's support to help achieve its objective.
Present at the meeting were the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Rosemond Boohene, some provosts and representatives of colleges, IEPA and Central Administration of UCC.