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Justice Nene Amegatcher

National Accreditation Board, General Legal Council Commended for Attempt to Regulate Law Faculties

26 Mar, 2019 By louis Mensah

A Justice of the Supreme Court, His Lordship Nene Amegatcher, has commended the National Accreditation Board (NAB) and the General Legal Council (GLC) for working together to regulate accreditation of law faculties in various tertiary institutions in the country.

Justice Amegatcher noted that hitherto, accreditation of new faculties was done by the NAB without the involvement of the GLC which approved universities whose students should be admitted to the Law School and subsequently called to the Bar in Ghana.  He argued that “The provision in Section 4 of the Legal Profession Act, 1960 (Act 32) says that effective the first day of January, 1971,  no person shall be qualified for enrolment into the Bar in Ghana unless the person is the holder of a degree from a university approved by the General Legal Council.

Justice Amegatcher was speaking at the UCC Faculty of Law Sixth Jurists’ Confab which was on the theme “Legal Education in Ghana and the Law Graduate: Challenges and Prospects”.



Students, stakeholders and the general public at the 6th Jurists' Confab

The Consequence of Sole Accreditation is Upsurge of Faculties Law

The Supreme Court Justice observed that the consequence of the sole accreditation of programmes was the upsurge of faculties of Law accredited without notice to the other regulator. “Without denigrating the deserved attention that other disciplines need when it comes to accreditation, accrediting law faculties is a duty that must not be taken lightly,” he noted.

Touching on other challenges facing Legal Education at the LLB level in Ghana, he said several other Commonwealth countries around the world faced the same challenges such as accreditation of law faculties; admission at the Law School after LLB; curriculum and teaching mode; motivation of Law Lecturers and staff development plan.

Engage Relevant Stakeholders to Better Place Legal Education

Justice Amegatcher stated that as a matter of urgency, there was the need to engage the relevant stakeholders continuously and holistically to better-place the Legal Education in the country to meet the changing dynamics of respective countries as well as global needs. He charged the Bar and Judiciary to hold regular colloquia such as the Jurists’ Confab for both law lecturers, students and stakeholders to discuss and identify the challenges and solutions for a robust legal education system.

Authorise Some Faculties of Law to Provide Legal Education Courses       

The Dean, Faculty of Law, Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Justice Sir Dennis Dominic Adjei, said that the challenges were due to increasing number of academic law graduates produced by the accredited law institutions in the country, to depend on a single professional law School – Ghana School of Law – which has an infrastructural deficit. Therefore, he stated that “In addressing the serious challenges faced by law graduates, I propose that some faculties of law should be authorised by the General Legal Council to provide professional Legal Education courses which are presently provided exclusively by the Ghana School of Law.


Justice Dennis Domini+ Adjei

Justice Sir Dennis Dominic Adjei

Justice Adjei further explained that the Ghana School of Law should  be used to coordinate the examination of students produced by those law faculties under the Independent Examination Committee established by the Legal Profession (Professional and Post-Call) Law Course Regulation, 2018 L1 2355.”     

Prospects of Legal Education in Ghana

On the prospects of Legal Education in Ghana, he recommended that there should be: infrastructural and industrial reforms at the Law School; progressive legal education and training; enhanced teaching and learning methods; emphasising alternative career path; creation of more opportunities and vacancies. He further mentioned embracing digitisation; paralegal services; internships programmes between law faculty and law firms and staff development plan for lecturers others. These according to him were some of the possibilities that would be of immense benefit to the law graduate and other endless prospects if the Legal Education was improved.

The Supreme Court Justice believed that “If the challenges presented therein are cleared, Legal Education in Ghana at the LLB level promises to churn out law students are all-round, knowledgeable both in theory and practice of the law and well-placed to respond, not only to the changing demands of the country in terms of law reforms and development, investment and technology but also to the trend of globalisation”.

Structural Reforms in Existing Legal Education System

A Senior Lecturer at the Ghana School of Law, Mr. Maxell Opoku-Agyemang, indicated that there should be structural reforms in the existing Legal Education System for training law professionals in the country. He explained that graduates who had acquired the academic qualification of Legal Education but had not pursued the professional and vocational training should be recognised as a lawyer (learned person).

Mr. Opoku-Agyemang pointed out that if the basic task of Legal Education was to provide the best education for a substantial number of law graduates to enter into the Legal profession or otherwise perform some functions as lawyers in society, then why should one necessarily pursue the professional course after going through the LLB programme. “The path from academic law to professional law should be a natural chord and any system which produces a break in such causation, in my view is a failure,” he pointed out.



Mr. Maxwell Opoku-Agyemang

Legal Education Should Create Seamless Path

Mr. Opoku-Agyemang explained that  Legal Education should be the type of ‘education’ which would not create any seamless path from the legal academic through professional legal training to acquire the right skills and confidence to enrol and practice as a barrister and solicitor. “I am of the view that, Ghana School of Law should be reconfigured as the regulator to accredit legal training institutions and also serve as an Independent Bar Examination Centre for the candidates from accredited legal training providers,” he concluded.

Infrastructural Deficit a Barrier to Increase Enrolment to Ghana School of Law

The Director, Legal Education, Ghana School of Law, noted that the School’s major problem had been the inadequate facilities to cater for more applicants. Regardless of the infrastructural deficit, he hinted that the School could have admitted as many applicants as possible. He commended the Faculty of Law at UCC, for its contributions towards the success of Legal Education and Legal Professionalism in the country.      

Train Robust Legal Professionals to Deal with Lawlessness

In his welcome address, Provost, College of Humanities and Legal Studies, Prof. F. E. Amuquandoh, commended the Faculty of Law for organising the 2019 Jurists’ Confab to address issues confronting Legal Education in Ghana. He mentioned that since lawlessness had been on the ascendency in the country and the world, there was the need to use the Legal faculties to train robust legal professionals to help get things rightly done in the country.

Confab to Propose Solutions to Challenges Confronting the Nation

Stating the purpose of the gathering, the Dean, Faculty of Law, Mr. Kujo E. McDave, explained that the Confab was held to create a platform members of the Bench, the Bar and other distinguished scholars to share and exchange ideas pertaining to developments in the Law with the view to proposing some solutions to the challenges confronting our nation.

dhs fellows

Three Faculty Members from UCC Participate In 2019 DHS Fellows Programme

26 Mar, 2019 By louis Mensah

Three faculty members from the UCC attended the first of two workshops organised by ICF as part of the 2019 Demographic and Health Surveys DHS fellowship in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from February 26 – March 8, 2019.

The faculty members from UCC were Prof. Eugene Kofuor Maafo Darteh of the Department of Population and Health; Dr. Isaac Buabeng of the Department of Basic Education and Mrs. Clara Akuamoah Boateng of the College of Distance Education. The workshop attracted participants from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Senegal, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Indonesia

DHS Program

The DHS Program is a project of the U.S. Agency for International Development, contracted to ICF. The DHS Fellows Program is a capacity-strengthening strategy of the DHS Program. The objective of the Fellows Program is to increase the capacity of university faculty from DHS countries and to build long-term institutional sustainability for universities to train students and faculty to further analyze DHS data. The primary objectives of The DHS Fellows Program are;

  • To teach Fellows to analyze and conduct research using DHS datasets
  • To strengthen skills that Fellows will use to integrate DHS data in teaching
  • To increase the ability of Fellows to strengthen the capacity of others for using DHS data at their home universities                                                                                         

As part of the fellowship, the team is expected to produce a working paper and subsequently publish a journal article titled “Uptake of Intermittent Preventive for Malaria in Pregnancy: Further Analysis of 2016 Ghana Malaria Indicator Survey”. Also, they are required to build the capacity of interested faculty and students in the use of DHS data and STATA.                                                                                       

UCC was the only University in Ghana with faculty winning the 2019 DHS fellows award.

 

 

 

Home Economics Students Association

Home Economics Students Association Observes "World Home Economics Day" on Campus

26 Mar, 2019 By louis Mensah

The Home Economics Students Association, (HESA) UCC Chapter, has marked the 2019 World Home Economics Day with a procession on campus.                                                                                           

The World Home Economics Days which falls on 21st March is used to sensitise and promote the Home Economics Profession. The theme for the 2019 celebration was “Creativity and Innovation in Home Economics for Sustainable Development". The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3 aims at “Ensuring Healthy Lives and Promote Well-being for All at all Ages”  Fundamental to achieving the SDGs is the recognition that eradication of poverty and inequality, creating inclusive economic growth, preserving the planet and improving population health is not just linked but interdependent.

Procession with Placards

Members of HESA processed through the major streets on campus displaying placards with various inscriptions to sensitise members of the University Community and the general public on the career prospects of Home Economics and the role Home Economics students play in the society.

In an interview, a member of HESA, Ms. Rosemary Gyamfua, said the association was holding the procession to clear the misconception a lot of people especially students of other programmes had about Home Economics. “We have been able to bring to the understanding of our colleagues' and other people who think Home Economics is only about cooking” she noted.

Another member of HESA, Ms. Evelyn Ajaho, said the 2019 celebration was to showcase the creativity of students, therefore, students would hold an exhibition for the University Community and the general public to see the talents most of them possessed. She further indicated that the association would have a health screening and career seminar.

 

School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

The UCC athletes and officials in a jubilation mood

University of Cape Coast Crowned Winners of African Universities Olympics Games

20 Mar, 2019 By louis Mensah

The University of Cape Coast has emerged as the overall winner of the maiden African Universities Olympics Games held in Cairo, Egypt.   

UCC Wins Overall Best Team for Male & Female            

UCC was declared winners of the competition with 10 gold 7 silver and 8 bronze medals in the one-week competition which was participated by 47 universities across Africa. UCC secured the first position for male and female making the University the overall best team in the competition.

The Astute University of Egypt placed the second position with 3 gold medals. The other two competing institutions from Ghana-the University of Ghana and the University for Development Studies both won 2 gold medals respectively.

UCC Delegation

The UCC team which was led by the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Dora Francisca Edu-Buandoh also includes the Chairman of the Sports and Recreation Committee, who is also President of the Ghana Universities Sports Association (GUSA), Dr Charles Domfeh; the Dean of Students’ Affairs, Prof Eugene Marfo Darteh, four other officials and 18 sportsmen and women.

 

Credit: Kwabena Asante Forkuo

GVSU team with faculty members of the School of Nursing and Midwifery

School of Nursing and Midwifery Honours GVSU Faculty and Students

19 Mar, 2019 By louis Mensah

The School of Nursing and Midwifery has held a dinner in honour of three faculty and 24 students from Kirkhof College of Nursing, Grand Valley State University (GVSU) who were in Ghana for a two-week Community Service programme.

Since 2013, the UCC School of Nursing and Midwifery and the GVSU Public Health Nursing have been collaborating through the Community Service which is aimed at establishing and improving partnership with both local and international collaborators in the area of Public Health.

 

UCC-GVSU Collaboration Yielding Good Fruits

Speaking at a dinner to climax the activities of the GVSU team, the Dean of the School of Nursing, Dr Dorcas Obiri-Yeboah, said the collaboration between UCC and GVSU through the community service continue to yield fruitful results. She said for the past six years, UCC School of Nursing and Midwifery had collaborated with GVSU Nursing students to embark on outreach services to various communities which had impacted positively on their health.  

Dr Obiri-Yeboah gave the assurance that UCC would deepen the partnership with GVSU to sustain the programme in order to enhance the exchange of expertise and also learn best practice among faculty members and students. “I hope the GVSU students had a great time with our Nursing students and also learned something valuable at the various health facilities during the programme” she noted.  She advised the GVSU students to use the knowledge and experiences they had acquired from their two weeks of study in Ghana to the benefit of society.

 

GVSU Students Fascinated by Health Care System in Ghana

The leader of the GVSU delegation, Prof. Sylvia Mupepi, commended the Faculty and students of UCC for ensuring a successful organisation of the 2019 Community Service programme. She said the students had acquired “great depth of knowledge” adding that “they wondered why the public health system in a low resourced country was very effective”

She expressed the commitment of the GVSU team to partner UCC for the joint programme adding that “When there was outbreak of Ebola, all US programmes and projects in Ghana and other West African nations were suspended, however, the GVSU team led by Prof. Mupepi still came to Ghana to join their counterparts in UCC for the outreach because we were confident of the quality health system in Ghana.” She said Ghana’s ability to contain the spread of the Ebola pandemic into the country was due to the strict adherence to the World Health Organisation's protocol. “One thing that our students have learnt about Ghana’s Health Sector is the surveillance system and that makes Ghana so special from other countries in terms of health care delivery,” she established.

 

GVSU Students Benefited from the Community Service in Ghana

Prof. Mupepe was hopeful that the GVSU students who were mostly final year students had benefited immensely from the Community Service in Ghana. “Learn as much as you can because when you graduate next month, you are going to be on your own and making a great impact in healthcare. Remember that if we can do much in the United States we are doing the best for the rest of the country. Our world has shrunk into a global village and we are counting on you to make the difference” she urged the GVSU students.

 

GVSU Students Share Experience

Some of the GVSU students shared their experience in the two-week Community Service Programme in UCC and some health facilities in the Central Region.

Jennifer Schlatter said she had an exciting time interacting with UCC faculty and students as well as familiarizing herself with other students and facilities on campus. “I have also learnt at first hand the Health Systems in Ghana and there are valuable lessons I have personally taken along” she noted.

Douglas Chambers said he was fascinated by the intercultural and competent health professionals working in various health facilities in Ghana.

Quinn Hayden expressed his delight of the strong public health system in Ghana especially the role of the CHPS compound in the provision of quality health care to rural communities. He said most of the health workers were highly skilled and could improvise in the absence of essential tools and equipment to provide basic care to people.

As part of the two-weeks Community Service programme, the GVSU team were exposed to the Health System in Ghana and embarked on an observational visit to various health facilities like the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, UCC Hospital/Maternity Unit, Ankaful Psychiatric Hospital. They were placed on rotation at urban/peri-urban Health Centres in the Abura Asebu Kwamankese District. Another feature of the visit is Community Outreach with UCC Nursing Students Association at Padre Pio Centre at Ahotorkrom in the Komenda Edina Eguafo Municipal Assembly.

Certificates were presented to the students for participating in the programme. The GVSU team also presented books and other educational materials to the School of Nursing and Midwifery.

Present at the dinner were lecturers, Faculty Officer, Accountant, staff and some students of the School of Nursing and Midwifery.

 

 

GVSU team with faculty members of the School of Nursing and Midwifery

School of Nursing and Midwifery Honours GVSU Faculty and Students

19 Mar, 2019 By louis Mensah

The School of Nursing and Midwifery has held a dinner in honour of three faculty and 24 students from Kirkhof College of Nursing, Grand Valley State University (GVSU) who were in Ghana for a two-week Community Service programme.

Since 2013, the UCC School of Nursing and Midwifery and the GVSU Public Health Nursing have been collaborating through the Community Service which is aimed at establishing and improving partnership with both local and international collaborators in the area of Public Health.

 

UCC-GVSU Collaboration Yielding Good Fruits

Speaking at a dinner to climax the activities of the GVSU team, the Dean of the School of Nursing, Dr Dorcas Obiri-Yeboah, said the collaboration between UCC and GVSU through the Community Service continue to yield fruitful results. She said for the past six years, UCC School of Nursing and Midwifery had collaborated with GVSU Nursing students to embark on outreach services to various communities which had impacted positively on their health.  

Dr Obiri-Yeboah gave the assurance that UCC would deepen the partnership with GVSU to sustain the programme in order to enhance the exchange of expertise and also promote best practice among faculty members and students. “I hope the GVSU students had a great time with our Nursing students and also learned something valuable at the various health facilities during the programme” she noted.  She advised the GVSU students to use the knowledge and experiences they had acquired from their two weeks of study in Ghana to the benefit of society.

 

GVSU Students Fascinated by Health Care System in Ghana

The leader of the GVSU delegation, Prof. Sylvia Maupepi, commended the Faculty and students of UCC for ensuring a successful organisation of the 2019 Community Service programme. She said the students had acquired “great depth of knowledge” adding that “they wondered why the public health system in a low resourced country was very effective”

She expressed the commitment of the GVSU team to partner UCC for the joint programme adding that “When there was outbreak of Ebola, all US programmes and projects in Ghana and other West African nations were suspended, however, the GVSU team led by Prof. Mupepi still came to Ghana to join our counterparts in UCC for the outreach because we were confident of the quality health system in Ghana.” She said Ghana’s ability to contain the spread of the Ebola pandemic into the country was due to the strict adherence to World Health Organisations protocol. “One thing that our students have learnt about Ghana’s Health Sector is the surveillance system and that makes Ghana so special from other countries in terms of health care delivery,” she established.

 

GVSU Students Benefited from the Community Service in Ghana

Prof. Mupepe was hopeful that the GVSU students who were mostly final year students had benefited immensely from the Community Service in Ghana. “Learn as much as you can because when you graduate next month, you are going to be on your own and making a great impact in healthcare. Remember that if we can do much in the United States, we are doing the best for the rest of the country. Our world has shrunk into a global village and we are counting on you to make the difference” she urged the GVSU students.

 

GVSU Students Share Experience

Some of the GVSU students shared their experience in the two-week Community Service Programme in UCC and some health facilities in the Central Region.

Jennifer Schlatter said she had an exciting time interacting with UCC faculty and students as well as familiarising herself with other students and facilities on campus. “I have also learnt at first hand the Health Systems in Ghana and there are valuable lessons I have personally taken along” she noted.

Douglas Chambers said he was fascinated by the intercultural and competent health professionals working in various health facilities in Ghana.

Quinn Hayden expressed his delight of the strong public health system in Ghana, especially the role of the CHPS compound in the provision of quality health care to rural communities. He said most of the health workers were highly skilled and could improvise in the absence of essential tools and equipment to provide basic care to people.

As part of the two-weeks Community Service programme, the GVSU team were exposed to the Health System in Ghana and embarked on an observational visit to various health facilities like the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, UCC Hospital/Maternity Unit, Ankaful Psychiatric Hospital. They were placed on rotation at urban/peri-urban Health Centres in the Abura Asebu Kwamankese District. Another feature of the programme was the Community Outreach with UCC Nursing Students Association at Padre Pio Centre at Ahotorkrom in the Komenda Edina Eguafo Municipal Assembly.

Certificates were presented to the students for participating in the programme. The GVSU team also presented books and other educational materials to the School of Nursing and Midwifery to support the training of nurses.

Present at the dinner were lecturers, Faculty Officer, Faculty Accounts Officer, staff and some students of the School of Nursing and Midwifery.

 

 

Prof. Britwum with participants of the Conference

Department of French Holds Conference in Honour of Prof. Atta Gyamfi Britwum

19 Mar, 2019 By louis Mensah

The Department of French has held a conference to celebrate and recognise Prof. Atta Gyamfi Britwum’s contributions to the Department, UCC and Ghana.

The three-day conference which was in honour of the astute Professor was on the theme “Literature and the Humanities in the 21st Century: Interdisciplinary Perspectives - (La Littérature et les Science Humaines au xxie siècle: Perspective Interdisciplinaires)”.  It brought together participants from Universities in Burkina Faso, Nigeria, La Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.

                                                       

Prof. Britwum’s Life Worth Celebrating

Recognising the significance of the Conference, the Provost of the College of Humanities and Legal Studies (CHLS), Prof. Francis Eric Amuquandoh, indicated that Prof. Britwum’s, contributions and hard work had not been in vain. “To me, this occasion is a very rare event in our part of the world to celebrate an individual who is living,” he noted. He, therefore, commended the originators of the initiative and idea to organise the conference to celebrate a senior academic.

Prof. Amuquandoh congratulated Prof. Britwum on his long dedicated years of service to help transform the University to its current state through his discipline, hard work and achievements. “You did not only serve UCC but your country, Ghana by being part and a member of governmental and Institutional Boards, Committees and Councils,” he assented.

To the current faculty members in active service, Prof. Amuquandoh said “the life of Prof. Britwum should motivate us to be disciplined, hardworking, and selfless in the dispensation of our responsibilities. In fact, I am very fortunate to be part of this occasion to celebrate a living academic hero - Prof. Atta Gyamfi Britwum”.

 

Recognising and Celebrating Living Memories of Senior Colleagues

In his welcome address, the Head, Department of French, Dr. Mawuloe Koffi Kodah, noted that the conference was held with the intent to recognise and celebrate the living memories of men and women of substance and stature who over the years have laboured to establish, nurture and grow the Department of French to its current development and height. “Being mindful of the desire to edify our very senior colleagues who have helped to smoothen our rough edges and turn us out as refined men and women at the service of Humanity in various capacities and positions in Ghana and beyond, we have resolved to immortalise the memories of our academic forebears in the Department through the institutionalisation of this kind of Conference in their honour in their lifetime,” he stated.

According to Dr. Kodah it was more rewarding to eulogise the living legends than to hypocritically praise the dead persons believed to have really contributed immensely to the society. He further stated that the conference was geared to the noble objective to acknowledge and revere the priceless contributions of persons whose names were engraved in the golden annals of their august departments. This, he believed, would serve as a strong platform to discuss and deliberate on contemporary issues relating to Language, Literature and the Society in a fast-growing ICT advancement across the world.” He said the maiden edition of the French Conference was celebrating Prof. Atta Gyamfi Britwum, referred as “L’Oracle” (The Oracle), whose life had impacted the growth of destiny of the Department of French, his achievements and contributions to UCC, Ghana and beyond. “This because he is retired but not tired,” he said.

 

The Conference Defines Professional and Human Aspect

Speaking at the opening of maiden conference, the Guest Speaker, the Vice-Chancellor Prof Joseph Ghartey Ampiah whose speech was read by the Dean, Faculty of Arts, Prof. J. B. A. Afful, expressed his joy which stemmed from the fact that the occasion defined faculty and staff as a University – the professional aspect and the human aspects. “This conference, as an academic exercise, is a platform to showcase our professional output in the form of research papers to be presented to participants with the view to expand the frontiers of knowledge and scholarship, on one hand; and to acknowledge the greatest sense of respect and gratitude, the priceless contributions of Prof. Britwum” he noted. Prof. Ampiah established that Prof. Britwum’s existence on this earth has been in the service of humanity, tilling his farm in the Department of French.

The Vice-Chancellor stated that “Prof. Britwum has planted seeds of enlightenment through the teaching of Francophone African Literature, Civilisation and Translation Studies.” He explained that out of Prof. Britwum’s laborious hands, have emerged the many men and women of quality and substance who today have provided service to humanity both at home and abroad. “In both cases, Prof. Britwum has made a lasting impact on students, staff, colleagues, and the entire University Community over the years.”

 

Honouring A Retired a Retired Lecturer is Very Commendable  

Acknowledging the relevance of the Conference, the Keynote Speaker, Prof. Kwame Opoku Agyemang, thanked the Department of French for the honour bestowed on his colleague, Prof. Britwum. “This is because the issue we have had in Ghana has always been that, once you retire, you have to stay out of active service. Therefore, honouring an ordinary retired lecturer or professor is very commendable initiative and idea,” he consented.

 

Review the Curriculum of Literature to Make it More Attractive

Speaking on the main theme for the conference, he indicated that the topics about Literature-Politics, Literature-Sociology, and Literature-Government have been overly given concern, but hardly would one notice that attention was being paid to the relationship between Literature-Science and Technology. He said, “Literature-Science and Technology which has now given rise to Literature and Cinema is producing the result because it is the medium which uses audio and visual elements to deliver a story. You will only need the story and the technical producers will provide the film”.

Prof. Britwum said “Cinema is very important today because it helps us to see and hear directly the sounds and pictures integrated into stories and events. He added that Cinema through animation has been a film and storytelling platform for children, because inanimate objects fly, move and talk to their amusement. “Time is moving and we have to catch up with time,” he charged the participants.

Prof. Agyemang commended African Writers for their good works and cautioned them not to produce unworthy literal pieces at the expense of poverty, because worthy works would pay and last. He noted that “Quality literal materials and products are very relevant, and they need to be preserved with all seriousness. We must be careful in our choice of books, and not to trade poverty to compromise on quality. We need to train ourselves at all levels of creativity to meet the modern trend in Literature,” he warned.      

Solidarity messages were delivered by colleagues from the foreign sister University representatives from Burkina Faso, Nigeria and La Côte d’Ivoire, as well as Ghanaian sister universities and the sponsors of the programmes.

 

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