Mrs. Elsie Addo Awadzi, Second Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), has stated that education must respond to the realities of a fast-changing world powered by cutting-edge technologies that are disrupting industries and traditional ways of doing things, and at the same time presenting opportunities for leapfrogging developmental challenges.
According to her, economic vulnerabilities in part, caused by colonial economic policies and structures, climate risk, food security, governance, exclusion, youth unemployment, among others in Ghana and Africa, all hold clues for possible future challenges if the right strategies are not adopted and implemented towards more positive outcomes.
Speaking at the launch of the 75th anniversary celebration of the University of Ghana, the Second Deputy Governor underscored that while technology is a key enabler of resilience, “it will not take us to the promised land by itself” but will depend on the quality of human power available to the country.
She advised the University to carefully consider the course offerings and other enrichment activities available to students.
“Which courses will we need to teach our students over the next 75 years as we prepare them for a more complex world? Which skills (technical and soft) are relevant to equip them with tools to solve the nation’s and the world’s critical challenges? How can we equip them with true leadership, entrepreneurship, and communication skills that give them a competitive edge? How can we promote innovative and entrepreneurial problem-solving approaches to learning instead of rote learning which only produce fixed mental modes incapable to solving our challenges?”
Mrs. Elsie Addo Awadzi
Mrs. Elsie Addo Awadzi also advised University Authorities to “modernize how we teach relevant subjects”, especially by taking advantage of technological advancements to provide relevant skills for students. She noted that the University must also focus on how to attract the best experts and practitioners from home and abroad to help with cutting-edge research and teaching in innovative ways.
Need for a strong ethical and moral foundation for the university
Furthermore, she highlighted the need for a strong ethical and moral foundation for the university, one that instils in students a sense of personal responsibility to advance the public interest and the common good. Mrs. Elsie Addo Awadzi also called for the need to promote a stronger sense of community though active engagement and inclusion of all key stakeholder groups in shaping the future of our university.
She also emphasized the need for the university to explore funding options that are sustainable in the next seven and half decades.
“We must proactively explore opportunities for funding the investments on a sustainable basis, that are needed to deliver desired outcomes for the next 75 years. Everyone has a role to play here, and we must all join forces to ensure that our university is able to provide educational facilities and experiences for students that shape them into world leaders”.
Mrs. Elsie Addo Awadzi
While donations and endowments through partnerships will go a long way and should be pursued, Mrs. Elsie Addo Awadzi noted that innovative approaches for generating sufficient income for the university and its various cost centres will be key to sustain continuous improvement in “the UG experience”.
