UNIVERSITY OF GHANA

63RD ANNUAL NEW YEAR SCHOOL AND CONFERENCE

PROGRESS REPORT BY

PROF. YAW OHENEBA-SAKYI DIRECTOR INSTITUTE OF CONTINUING AND DISTANCE EDUCATION (ICDE) UNIVERSITY OF GHANA LEGON

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MONDAY, JANUARY 9,2012

Mr. Chairman, The Chairman of the Council of State who this morning is representing His

Excellency the President of the Republic of Ghana, Prof. J.E.A. Mills, Members of the Council of State, Ministers of State, Honourable Members of Parliament, The Chief Executive Officer of Ghana National Petroleum Corporation our Event Promoter, Your Excellencies, Members of the Diplomatic Corp, Members of the University of Ghana Council, Pro-Vice-Chancellors and Registrar of the University of Ghana, Members of the University of Ghana Community both past and present, Niimei, Naamei, Nananom, Distinguished Invited Guests, The Director of the 63rd Annual New Year School and Conference, Participants of the 63rd Annual New Year School and Conference, Members of the Press Corp, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen.

INTRODUCTION In counting our blessings, I believe we will count today, also a blessing since we have lived to witness the organization of another New Year School and Conference. I am especially glad that it has become possible for all of us to meet and engage in an intellectual discourse on the 63rd Annual New Year School and Conference platform. The Annual New Year School and Conference is a national programme regularly held by the Institute of Continuing and Distance Education (ICDE) of the University of Ghana for one week, at the beginning of the New Year. It brings together people from all walks of life to meet and dispassionately discuss vital issues of public concern.

In the process, the event: Educates the general public on important topical national and international issues; Promotes consensus-building among people of diverse opinions and backgrounds;

Assesses public opinion on pertinent issues in order to ensure good governance; and last but not the least, the gathering Provides a platform for initiating public policy as evidenced by follow-up actions on the School's communiques'.

Mr. Chairman, following last year's edition of the New Year School and Conference which was on the theme, "Harnessing the Power of the Youth for Accelerated Development" significant efforts are being made in the area of youth empowerment and development. Notable among them are the reintroduction of the National Sports Festival which has been rechristened 'The National Unity Games, and the transformation of the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) to become one of the means of Government's social intervention in job creation and youth development.

THE THEME FOR THIS YEAR Each year, the organizers of the School and Conference select a theme which is relevant during a particular year and this year's is no exception. It could be recalled that in 2007, Ghana discovered oil in commercial quantities after many years of prospecting by international oil companies with technical support from the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC).

To the youth, it promised a good future full of employment opportunities; to the businessman, a platform to expand business frontiers; to the government, petrodollars to push for economic transformation to turn the lots of citizens around for the better, or perhaps for the best; and to ordinary Ghanaians, the

 new economic messiah to redeem them from the shackles of poverty, ignorance, and disease.

Despite this excitement, there seems to be a growing pessimism that government may not invest the revenues from oil and gas in critical areas of development to improve the standard of living of all Ghanaians. This has prompted questions on Ghana's ability to curb the Dutch Disease, her ability to balance agricultural development with oil and gas production and ultimately, her ability to change the socio-economic landscape of the country especially, the Western Region among others.

From the foregoing, it is evident that the dicey nature of oil and gas production and its management in a developing country like ours, calls for a holistic examination of issues that may come with its operation, hence the choice of the theme, "One Year Oil and Gas Production: Emerging Issues," for the 63rd Annual New Year School and Conference. Most people are inquiring about how this resource would benefit all of us as Ghanaians; and whether this resource would be a Blessing or a Curse.

Writing in Africa Report, Feb. 1, 2010, Patrick Smithin reports that the oftenheard demand from activists, politicians and business-people when discussing oil's potential in Ghana is that the situation is expected to be different from its African counterparts. The argument goes that the discovery of the Jubilee field with about 1.8bn barrels, is the first time substantial amounts of oil and gas have been found in one of Africa's established democracies. So, the question to be asked and addressed is how different really is Ghana from its African neighbours when it comes to the management of its natural resources (including the oil and gas) for the maximum benefit of its citizens?

As the country prepares for the 2012 elections, we have to be mindful that our well hailed democratic credentials in the African sub-region will once again be
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tested. Democratic governance is not only about elections. Instead, it is the means to attaining socio-economic development. Democratic governance cannot be sustained within the context of growing poverty, illiteracy, youth unemployment, poor environmental sanitation and the general feeling of insecurity. The question that can be asked, then, is: How will prospective candidates strive to translate the political will of the people into development agenda that would be beneficial to all the citizenry of Ghana in an Oil and Gas economy?

Mr. Chairman, specifically, this year's School and Conference aims to achieve the following; Raise the awareness of Ghanaians regarding the key issues facing the oil and gas sector as well as the key developments in policy decisions in the industry. Provide a platform for Ghanaians to passionately discuss regulatory frameworks, governance and revenue management strategies that are in place to guarantee some entitlements and royalties to the good people of Ghana. Provide opportunities to Civil Society Organizations, the Media, Parliamentarians and concerned citizens to offer alternative strategies towards the efficient and effective management of oil and gas. Provide opportunity to influence policy through recommendations of the 63rd Annual New Year School and Conference.

This year's Annual New Year School and Conference will see the presentation of conference papers in parallel sessions during the course of the week, details of which you will find in the programme brochure. These scholarly papers will go through the usual review process and those accepted will be published in a special edition of the Ghana Journal of Adult Education and Literacy. I feel that it is appropriate for academics far and near to share some of their research findings with such an influential assembly of audience and showcase what academia is doing on the quiet.

EVENT PARTNERS Mr. Chairman, after over six decades of conducting New Year Schools and Conferences, the Institute shares the view that it is about time we opened up the organization of the event to new ideas. As such, an Events-Management partnership with RICS Consult Limited was concluded during the year under review. This year, we are grateful to the management of Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) for being the Event Promoter, with a significant donation of GHC 100,000 (one hundred thousand Ghana Cedis) toward the 63rd Annual New Year School and Conference. And for this year, we have renewed our marriage vows for media-support partnership with The Multi-Media Group Ltd. and its flag-ship, Joy 99.7 FM. The support we are witnessing this week is a testimony to the belief that our partners have in the New Year School and Conference to be able to deliver tangible results.

PETRODOLLAR FOR HIGHER EDUCATIONAL ENTERPRISES IN GHANA Mr. Chairman, permit me to make a submission to this august body as to how higher education can strengthen the competitive edge of Ghana as an Oil and Gas economy aspiring to gain middle-income country status.

It is a well known fact that skilled and creative people are crucial to the success of any organization and/business and by implication any economy. Also known is the fact that more and more jobs in the 21st century will require high-level skills, and now, flexible and transferable skills are already in growing demand everywhere in the world. It is also the case that throughout the world, millions of Ghanaians and other African students are pursuing their studies in countries which are not their own; studying in languages which are not their own. In so doing, they are enjoying access to the very best educational facilities across the

 world, especially in the U.S., Canada, and Europe in their fields of study while at the same time developing their linguistic and cultural experiences.

To position the country to be competitive we have to boldly confront the serious problems confronting the current Ghanaian educational system, such as mismatch between the skills demanded by the labour market and what the current educational and training programmes can supply; the desperate need for more entrepreneurs -- people who can create new businesses and employ others; the need to raise a new generation with a vision and the curiosity to think critically in new ways, and possess the ability to be innovative; and greater cooperation between the private and public sector and educational institutions.

At the home front, therefore, Ghana has no choice but to devote a substantial amount of its petrodollars from the Oil and Gas production to support and transform higher education at both public and private institutions, notably Colleges of Education, Polytechnics, Universities, University Colleges, and other professional tertiary institutions.

At the same time, the county needs to formulate strategic policies to attract those high-level skilled Ghanaians and other Africans in the Diaspora who might have contributed to the "Brain Drain" phenomena, but now eager to return in the new phenomenon described as "Brain Gain" and "Brain Circulation" to significantly contribute to the manpower requirements of an Oil and Gas economy.

As Prof. Mahmood Mamdani, Executive Director of the Makerere Institute of Social Research reminded us at the 16th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (CCEM) in 2006: "If your object is to transform general education, you have to begin with higher education. For higher education is the strategic heart of education; it is where choices are developed, teachers trained and research undertaken." Ghana cannot afford to ignore this advice at this historical moment in our development.

ICDE'S ACADEMIC PROGRAMMES Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, I need not remind you that the Institute's mandate to teach Adult and Continuing Education, conduct research, render extension services and manage the University of Ghana's Distance Education programme has not changed.

We have continued, in response to the demand for advanced academic pursuit by our clientele, to offer full-time and part-time sub-degree, undergraduate and graduate programmes. The latest addition to our teaching programme is the Bachelor of Arts in Adult Education, which has the second cohort at level 100 this academic year, 2011/2012. Beginning the academic year also, the Institute was asked by Academic Affairs to replicate its B.A. degree in Adult Education at the Accra City Campus to provide opportunities for the admission of all Diploma to Degree applicants with FGPA between 3.25 and 3.49.

The total number of students enrolled in our core academic programmes is 879 students, made up of 226 graduate students, 361 bachelor's students, and 292 diploma students.

UNIVERSITY OF GHANA DISTANCE EDUCATION PROGRAMME Mr. Chairman, since 2007, the Institute has shown commitment in running the University's Distance Education programme. Despite some challenges, the Institute continued to train and supervise course-writers leading to the development of 270 course modules for the B.A. degree in Administration (Accounting/Management) option; B.A degree in Economics, Geography and Resource Development, History, Information Studies, Linguistics, Political Science, Psychology, Social Work, and Sociology. The Institute has received new proposals from four departments to mount the following programmes in Distance mode; B.Sc. (Botany and Animal and Conservation Science) B.Sc. (General Agriculture) B.Sc. (Statistics)

B.A. (Archaeology & Heritage Studies)

The Institute has also trained 77 tutors to add up to the 514 tutors who provide student-counseling and support services throughout the country and assist in the weekend tutorials being conducted in eight (8) Regional Centres - Accra, Kumasi, Koforidua, Sunyani, Takoradi, Tamale, Tsito and Wa. Pre-examination revision for all distance education students are organized on Legon campus before their end-of-semester examinations.

Mr. Chairman, it is with great delight that I report today that the University of Ghana distance education students' population now stands at about 8,400 in the 2011/2012 Academic Year, a 9-fold increase from a modest number of 906 pioneering students registered for the 2007/2008 Academic Year. This pioneering group of our DE students will be presented at congregation come March 2012.

As an Institute, we are fully aware of the special needs of our distance education students and, therefore, our offices are open throughout the week including weekends for students' needs to be addressed. We also acknowledge the fact that the Institute does not have the full complements of staff and other resources to support this endeavour but the University authorities are giving it their kind consideration.

Recent regional tours of all our facilities by the Vice-Chancellor, Alumni Council, and ICDE Advisory Board, have brought to the fore the realities on the ground and, thus, the urgent need for a radical turn around of the mode of delivery of the University's programme via the distance mode.

In the bid to transform our University into a world class status, the Institute will be glad if the University authorities bring up the capacities of all the ICDE Regional

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Centres under the Phase Two of the Chinese project which is scheduled to start anytime soon.

To pursue the national objectives for tertiary education, the second phase should adequately equip these Regional Centres with the appropriate hardware and software, to diffuse ICT-based education methods. In this way, students could be enrolled and access tertiary education from the 10 regions of Ghana. More importantly, the Regional Centres could be the Key Internet Port connecting local high schools.

In order to run and administer University of Ghana academic programmes effectively, the Regional Centres of the ICDE will need major boost in physical infrastructure to make them secure and ready for full utilization. In the end, greater opportunities will be opened for online and other occupational continuing education programmes to be extended to many of our youth and adults who are searching for opportunities to develop themselves through skills acquisition and lifelong learning.

EDUCATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS Mr. Chairman, the Institute's activities stretch beyond the borders of Ghana. As the "Big Brother" and the Partner Institution in the West African sub-region for the Commonwealth Secretariat, we continue to perform oversight responsibilities for the Commonwealth Youth Programme in The Gambia.

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to put on record that, the Institute had the opportunity to witness the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the University of Ghana and three Indian Universities (Indira Gandhi Open University, Amity University and University of Delhi) under the Pan-African e-Network Project.

Through this e-Network Project the three Indian Universities will run virtual undergraduate and post-graduate programmes at Legon over a 3-year period. The preliminary processes of admissions have been fulfilled but there emerged some problems with operationalisation of the programme and this is being handled by the High Commission of India to ensure that the programme takes off smoothly.

DEVELOPING ICDE AS THE HUB FOR ON-LINE LEARNING Following a successful infrastructural deployment for the take-off of E-Learning at the University of Ghana, I expect the Institute to take the lead role in designing on-line learning experiences at the University to centre around learners' unique needs so that they can balance their coursework with their professional and personal commitments.

On-line learning would provide the skills that individuals need to grow as professionals and acquire credentials that would make positive change by finding creative and innovative solutions to challenges facing industry and the greater community.

Our online courses would encourage adult learners to: Develop critical-thinking, practical reasoning, and communication skills required to be effective and transformative leaders. Apply what they learn immediately to your lives, their communities, and their own workplace and adapt strategies to meet specific needs. Discuss concepts and challenges, share ideas about best practices and beyond and network with faculty and fellow learners. The Legon On-line learning experience would include: An active on-line classroom that would allow learners the flexibility to complete their coursework when and where they choose, within specified time frames. An on-line course demonstration video would be produced to give learners a firsthand look at the Legon On-line Classroom and experience what it is like to study on-line.

 A collaborative environment that enhances learners' ability to network with and learn from classmates and academic faculty selected for their academic and industry credentials as well as for their abilities at integrating their expertise into the on-line classroom. A dedicated on-line learner support team to help guide students through the online learning experience. The team would be committed to providing learners with the tools and resources to succeed as students in the on-line learning environment. Student support services would be offered 24 hours, 7 days a week on course registration, technical issues, career services, e-tutoring, library services, research, academic writing, and other student inquiries.

TEACHING AND LEARNING INNIVATION FUND (TALlF) With the support of grants from TALlF, the Institute was able to acquire a new 19-seater Toyota Hiace Bus primarily to transport modules to ICDE Regional Centres across the country; and organized a training workshop for course writers for a new MAlMPhil in HIV and AIDS Management. The following courses are currently being written for the programme to begin in 2012/2013 Academic Year:

HIVM 601 - Natural History and Biology of HIV and AIDS HIVM 602 - Therapeutic Management of HIV and AIDS HIVM 603-lmpact of HIVand AIDS on Development HIVM 604 - Management of HIV and AIDS HIVM 605 - Socio-cultural Aspects of HIV and AIDS HIVM 606 - Community Mobilization and HIV and AIDS

HIVM 607-HIV and AIDS Policy and Advocate

HIVM 608 - Ethical Issues and the Management of HIV and AIDS

RE-POSITIONING THE INSTITUTE OF CONTINUING AND DISTANCE EDUCATION (ICDE) TO PLAY A VITAL ROLE IN MAKING LEGON A WORLD-CLASS UNIVERSITY Background The plan of activities outlined for the Institute of Continuing and Distance Education (ICDE) in the years ahead reflects: the achievements and challenges in recent years; the general mission of the University to develop world-class human resources and capabilities to meet national development needs and global challenges; and the vision of the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ernest Aryeetey to: promote academic excellence through enhanced teaching and learning and leadership training; promote academic excellence through significantly expanded and relevant research and extension; overhaul of governance arrangements in administration, teaching and research; manage University assets and facilities efficiently; scale-up efforts towards equal opportunity in gender and diversity; and enhance fund-raising activities at unit and central administration levels.

In developing the ICDE plan of activities, therefore, an institution building approach would be used so as to take advantage of already existing resources of the Institute and its 12 Regional Centres. These resources should be directed in ways that unify them into a comprehensive infrastructure for the delivery of occupational continuing education and distance education courses and programmes for faculty, staff, students, businesses, organizations, and communities.

ICDE Specific Goals and Objectives From our reflections the five specific goals and related objectives are identified as essential ingredients for the discussions and decisions that must be made by the Institute's stakeholders. We expect the discussions to create a shared vision

and infrastructure for the realization of the potential growth that exists for investing in the expansion of continuing and distance education programmes at the University of Ghana. Goal 1. Respond to the needs of adult learners by using technology to provide them the opportunity to develop essential skills for lifelong learning through increasing options for occupational continuing education and other economic and workforce development programmes. Objective 1. Develop collaborative strategies between the Institute and other academic units to deliver short programmes in occupational continuing education, basic skills, human resources development, information literacy, and entrepreneurship. Objective 2. Identity resources for developing or obtaining online webbased courses that meet business/industry-specific training

requirements .,." Goal 2. Respond to the workforce needs of the Oil and Gas Industry and related service sectors in collaboration with the relevant ministries, agencies, and other educational institutions. Objective 1. Identify the workforce needs of emerging jobs in the Oil and Gas Industry and related service sectors Objective 2. Develop and implement occupational continuing education and distance learning courses to meet training and educational requirements for current and potential employees and employers for varied industries and service providers Goal 3. Seek buy-in from University authorities, ICDE Advisory Board and Academic Board to develop policy related to compensation and promotion of faculty members involved in the operations of occupational continuing education and distance education programmes Objective 1. Develop policy for an attractive compensation package for those involved in the development of occupational continuing education and distance education course materials, tutoring,

monitoring and evaluation

Objective 2. Explore the possibility of establishing faculty members solely devoted to occupational continuing education and distance education programmes, especially in academic departments with increased demand for such courses

Goal 4. Strengthen policy related to quality assurance and consistency of distance education programme delivery Objective 1. Develop and implement course evaluation instrument that addresses issues unique to continuing and distance education delivery Objective 2. Create a committee to continuously monitor ethics, standards, and academic integrity to prevent academic dishonesty in occupational continuing education and distance education courses Objective 3. Conduct summative and formative evaluations of continuing and distance education courses and programmes to measure their impact on enrollment and retention, faculty and student satisfaction, technical reliability, orientation to technology, tutoring, and student support services, as well as job placements.

'Goal 5. Consider an alternate organizational and financial structure for the

management of ICDE programmes with a business plan that will guarantee a positive return on investment. Objective 1. Develop financial autonomy for ICDE to recover all of its operational and development costs by recapturing income generated by students enrollment in programmes Objective 2. Develop a plan to reinvest income generated by student enrollment in ICDE programmes across the University to support the future needs of the Institute including technology upgrades, physical infrastructural rehabilitation, faculty incentives, staff support, and faculty/staff training and development

External Consultant To help the Institute fine-tune the goals and objectives outlined above and translate these into a solid strategic plan with measurable outcomes, I intend to recommend to the University, through the ICDE Advisory Board, to appoint an external consultant to study in detail the Institute's plans and advise us on clarifying goals and objectives; determining action steps for achieving them; determining facilities, resources, and personnel needed to efficiently accomplish the tasks; and putting systems in place to monitor activities and performance, among other things. FUTURE DIRECTION AND DESIRES Change of Status from "Institute" to "College" From its humble beginnings in 1948 as the Department of Extra-Mural Studies, the Institute of Continuing and Distance Education has now grown to the point for a "College" status. With sustained growth in distance learning enrollments in degree programmes, occupational and continuing education programmes as well courses leading to the award of Diplomas, B.A., M.A.lM.Phil., and Ph.D, the Institute welcomes the opportunity to become a College of Continuing and Distance Education.

In line with this thinking, the Institute (represented by myself; Dr. Badu-Nyarko, Deputy Director, ICDE; and Prof. Elom Dovlo, Ag. Deputy Director, DE) appeared before the Prof. J.S. Djangmah Committee which has been appointed to advise the University on the collegiate system and governance in December, 2011.

Acquisition of More Efficient and Durable Vehicles A new 19-seater Toyota Hiace Bus primarily to transport modules to ICDE Regional Centres across the country (delivered in October, 2011) Two 4X4 Cross-Country Vehicles for use by ICDE Central Administrative Team (approved for purchase by the Vice Chancellor in December, 2011) Ten 4X4 Double-Cabin pick-up for use by ICDE Regional Centres (5 approved for purchase in the 2011/2012 Budget)

Construction of a Multipurpose Complex

To accommodate the growing numbers of students and the anticipated growth in

the University of Ghana's Distance Education Programme, it is the intention of ICDE to propose to the University for the construction of a Multipurpose Building for offices, classrooms, meeting rooms, conference facility, etc.

CONCLUSION The Institute of Continuing and Distance Education (ICDE) acknowledges with gratitude, the immense contribution and support that it has received from all her benefactors who are too many to be mentioned in this speech. The full list is provided in the programme brochure. Special mention of all of them will be made on another platform.

I acknowledge the contributions of all our resource persons and the organizers of this year's School and Conference for their tireless efforts to bring a high level of quality to the programme. Like the story of the six blind men who went to have a feel of the elephant and described it from diverse sources and experiences, it is my hope that each and every one of you gets hold of the biggest part of the "New Year Elephant" so that all of us will be sufficiently empowered with the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes to enable us turn the wheel of development in Ghana with our petrodollars to move the country into middle-income nation. Such a developmental agenda for an Oil and Gas economy would improve the lots of the farmer, the teacher, the lawyer, the market woman, the tailor, the seamstress, the child, the young, the old, the educated, the uneducated, and every Ghanaian for that matter.

I wish you all success throughout the duration of the School and Conference. AFE HYIA PA AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!!!