By Stephen Asante
Accra, Dec. 15, GNA – Professor Emerita Takyiwaa Manuh, a Fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS), says the nation must constantly review her higher education policies to be in tune with emerging global trends.
“Higher education is dynamic. Therefore, the kind of skills set needed by our students some two decades ago are not the same as contemporary times,” she told the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Accra.
In her view, making the requisite reforms to build the capacity of students in developing trends, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, climate change, among others, were needed for accelerated growth.
Prof. Emerita Manuh, in an interview, on the sidelines of the launch of a project dubbed, “Motivating Higher Education Reforms in Ghana – Towards Equity and Sustainability,” said, that was the path to take, if the country were to build a vibrant human resource base.
The project, being spearheaded by the GAAS, with sponsorship from the Carnegie Corporation, New York, aims to critically examine past, present and future reforms in the higher education sector
The concept is to offer a platform for an open and objective discussion of higher education policy, build consensus around recommendations that promote equity and sustainability in the higher education sector.
Prof. Emerita Manuh, Chairperson of the Project Management Committee, highlighting the project activities, indicated that the stakeholders would conduct a comprehensive mapping of higher education policy, changes and interventions since 1992 and proposed reforms.
“Even though GAAS recognises the existence of many higher education studies in Ghana, it sees significant difference in the scope of these studies and will focus on commission studies and background papers on selected higher education policy changes,” she stated.
They will also organise regular and quarterly policy meetings for selected stakeholders, publish and share the commissioned studies and the conference outcomes through the issuance of seven policy briefs.
The research themes range from ‘Managing Public Universities in a New Age,’ ‘Expanding Universities’ Effect on Access, Quality and Sustainability,’ to ‘The Changing Relationship between the State and Universities in Ghana.’
Other themes are, ‘Private Universities in Ghana,’ ‘Financing Higher Education – Implications for Equity and Sustainability,’ and ‘Making GET Fund Fit for Purpose.’
Prof. Clifford N. B. Tagoe, Chairman of the Project Steering Committee, said the stakeholders would work assiduously to execute the project successfully to enhance higher education in the country.
GNA