Vice-President John Dramani Mahama has said the government will convene an all-party conference to dilate on how to overcome the dysfunction in the educational sector and evolve a consensual road map on the way forward.

He said the unpredictable and dysfunctional crisis in the sector, as a result of the cycle of reforms that occurred whenever there was a change in government, did not augur well for the promotion of quality education.

Addressing the eighth congregation of the Central University College (CUC) at Miotso, near Tema, on Saturday, the Vice-President said if Ghana was to effectively come to terms with its numerous development strategies, then it must develop a citizenry who had the “passion to break new grounds” and “challenge conventional wisdom”.

In all, 1,485 students graduated, out of which four received Master of Philosophy (MPhil) degrees, 191 Master of Business Administration (MBA), while 1, 290 had Bachelor’s degrees in Business Administration, Theology and Economics.

Mr Mahama said the mode of instruction in schools should be capable of instilling in students a “23rd century mentality” and empower them to “pursue the undiscovered”.

He said the current mode of instruction in schools must give way to one which would imbue in the students a keener intellectual acumen essential for tackling problems for the expected economic growth.

Such a road map, he explained, would also tackle the problem of access and equity in the educational sector, which was one of the greatest challenges facing the nation.

On the gas and oil discovery in the country, the Vice-President said, “This requires a new set of skills and knowledge peculiar to that industry. Skilled workers in plumbing, electric and painting for instance will be required.”

Mr Mahama pledged the government’s commitment to promote local content in the oil and gas industry, as well as other sectors of the economy, and called on the university to design programmes that would be responsive to the needs of the times.

Speaking on the impact of the CUC to nation-building, he said its ground-breaking efforts at equipping students with skills in language proficiency to enable them to compete on the international market must be commended.

He also expressed satisfaction with the introduction of applied science programmes in the health and urban planning sectors to address the shortfall of critical manpower in those areas but cautioned that mediocrity must be avoided.

Vice-President Mahama lauded Dr Mensah Otabil, the Founder of the university, for his contribution to the uplift of morality in society and encouraged him to continue to “give hope to our generation”.

The Executive Chairman of Databank, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, who was the guest of honour, noted that Ghana’s educational system must enable its products to develop “critical thinking” for them to become the “spirit of the future”.

He said through such an effort, the next generation of students could emerge as transformational leaders to engineer the “change” the people were yearning for.

The  President of the CUC, Professor Victor Gadzekpo, said the college was focusing on applied sciences such as Nursing, Pharmacy and Physician Assistantship in view of their benefits to the nation.

He said the CUC’s emphasis on female empowerment through education was yielding fruits, citing the 2009 graduating class which had a 60 per cent female enrolment, compared to 40 per cent for males.

The Chairperson of the Board of Regents of the college, Dr Joyce Aryee, charged the graduands to develop new work ethics that would put the nation ahead of parochial interests. “You must decide to transform your environment into the paradise you want to live in,” she added.

Tags: conference, dysfunction, Education