LAUNCH OF THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF GHANA
THEME: 'NURTURING RESILIENCE: ADOPTING TECHNOLOGY,
EMBRACING HUMANISM'
REMARKS BY
MRS. ELSIE ADDO AWADZI
SECOND DEPUTY GOVERNOR
BANK OF GHANA
WEDNESDAY, 31ST AUGUST 2022
GREAT HALL, UNIVERSITY OF GHANA, LEGON
Chief of Staff, Office of the President, Hon. Akosua Frema Osei-Opare
Minister for Education, Hon. Dr. Yaw Osei Adu Twum
Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Mrs. Mary Chinery-Hesse
Chairperson of the University of Ghana Council, Justice Sophia A.B.
Akuffo (Rtd)
Members of the University Council
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo
Pro-Vice Chancellors of the University of Ghana, Prof. Gordon
Akanzuwine Awandare and Prof. Felix Ankomah Asante
The Registrar, Mrs. Emelia Agyei-Mensah
Faculty and Staff of the University
Alumni
Students
Distinguished Guests, Ladies, and Gentlemen
1. 32 years ago, when I arrived on this great campus as a shy and confused
F.U.E. student (as first year undergraduate students were then called), the
sheer privilege of the opportunity was not lost on me. More than three
decades after, I can proudly say that my University of Ghana experience
(what I will call "the UG experience") was transformational and has served
me, my family, Ghana, and the world, well. This is the story of many others
who have been blessed with a UG education.
2. I am truly honoured and equally humbled to speak to you today for the
launch of the 75th Anniversary celebration of this great institution.
3. I believe that the year-long celebration leading to this important milestone
in 2023 under the theme Nurturing Resilience: Adopting Technology,
Embracing Humanism will provide the right setting to take stock, learn
lessons, and look forward to the next 75 years. I will therefore focus my
remarks today on the past, present, and future of our great university.
75 Years as Ghana's Premier University
4. Over the past 75 years, the University of Ghana has built a strong
reputation as an academic institution of excellence, making it one of the
preferred choices for academics, researchers, and students in Africa and
beyond.
5. It has made substantial contributions to the human resource needs of our
nation, shaping the minds that have built our state institutions,
communities, businesses, and the political, economic, social, and cultural
systems that have underpinned our fortunes as a people.
6. The hallmarks of this great university are its strong tradition of academic
excellence, integrity (true to its motto, Integri Procedamus, which as we
know, means progress with integrity), its warm and picturesque Legon
campus which has over the decades maintained its charm, and its vast
network of academics, researchers, distinguished alumni, and many more.
7. I commend successive administrations of this noble university and the
tireless efforts of faculty and staff over the decades for their foresight and
dedication towards the success of this university. I also applaud
Government for its support of this university over the years both financially
and otherwise.
8. Our great university has come a long way from its humble beginnings in
1948 when it first opened its doors to students. It has undergone
significant transformation in diverse ways, some positive and some not too
positive. As students here in the early 1990s, my classmates and I heard
stories from lecturers of what life as a student used to be in the earlier
decades where each student had a dorm room to themselves, was waited
on by butlers and stewards, and attended compulsory formal dinners with
Hall Fellows.
9. These stories sounded as though they were from a different civilisation
than the one we lived through as students from 1990 and onwards. On
returning to the Legon campus in 1998 for my MBA studies, I encountered
a different UG, one that made my experience from the early 1990s feel
somewhat more privileged. There were sometimes a countless number of
undergraduate students sharing the same rooms that had been occupied
by two students during my undergraduate days a few years earlier. Class
sizes had ballooned to a point where many undergraduate students stood
outside classrooms. Many of them could not connect with the educational
rigour that my contemporaries and I had been blessed to experience years
before.
The Present
10. Despite these challenges, it is fair to say that this great university has
continued to challenge itself to keep up with the changing times and the
changing needs of its stakeholders. New infrastructure, new courses, new
teaching and learning tools and pedagogies, relatively reduced class sizes,
new governance structures, and upgraded faculty training, are but a few
of the positive changes that are evident in the university today.
11. Thankfully, white boards and markers have replaced the black board
and chalk of the past, desktop and laptop computers have replaced
typewriters, and electronic libraries are enabling access to a large pool of
modern learning and teaching resources beyond the confines of the
famed Balme Library that was once so intimidating for students.
12. Under its current administration, the University is making even greater
strides pursuing its overall vision of becoming a "world-class research-
intensive university". The Vice Chancellor's bold and audacious vision to
'create a culture that promotes research, teaching and learning,
administrative processes and extension activities driven by technology and
anchored in humanism' have led to the launch of key activities including
the 'Vice-Chancellor's Programme for Enhancing the UG Student
Experience through Digitalisation'.
13. Emerging from the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the new
emphasis on Nurturing Resilience: Adopting Technology, and
Embracing Humanism, is welcome and in the right direction. The
pandemic underscored the importance of constant investments into the
future to build resilience and strong safety nets in order to reduce
inequities and exclusion from our socio-economic development efforts.
14. While technology enabled the adaptations that were necessary to
reduce the fallout from the pandemic including the impact on teaching
and learning, existing gaps in access to technology introduced disparities
in the extent to which some were able to cope with disruptions from the
pandemic. For example, students who had no access to electronic devices
and/or had no access to cost-effective and reliable internet connectivity
to support their online learning were suddenly facing new hurdles in
pursuing their educational dreams.
15. There were also gendered dynamics to the impact of the pandemic,
such that female lecturers or students were disproportionately saddled
with responsibilities for childcare, care of relatives, and housework, with
schools closed and labour markets disrupted, while at the same time
having to keep up with online teaching and learning.
16. It is against this backdrop that the big push for investments in
technology to promote resilience going forward and in a human-centred
manner is critical. Equitable access to reliable and cost-effective
technology will go a long way to promote teaching and learning in a more
sustainable manner and ensure than no one is left behind. Hence, the
recently launched 'One student, One laptop' (1S1L) programme, where
about 120 students have been provided laptops, deserves applause. It is
my hope that many corporate bodies and well-meaning Ghanaians, will
support this initiative to ensure that all needy students receive this
support.
What will the next 75 Years Hold?
17. Madam Chair, as we prepare to start a year of much-deserved
celebrations to mark this important milestone, it is imperative that we look
into the future with new ways of thinking and pursuing our vision and
goals. The pursuit of "world-class" excellence should be a moving target,
and as times change, that vision should be calibrated to deliver outcomes
that keep this great institution relevant.
18. The pandemic taught us the benefit of resilience, preparation, and
adaptability. Resilient organisations anticipate change, prepare for change
by making adequate investments in systems that will help to deal with
such changes, and adapt effectively to change.
19. Going forward, what could be the possible changes that need to be
prepared for to help minimise disruptions to teaching and learning that
pose a risk to achieving world class excellence? Global trends of geo-
political tensions, climate change, energy security issues, infectious
diseases, cyber-attacks give us a sneak-peek into what the next decade or
more could hold for the world.
20. In Africa and here in Ghana, economic vulnerabilities in part caused by
colonial economic policies and structures, climate risk, food security,
governance, exclusion, youth unemployment, among others, all hold clues
for possible future challenges if the right strategies are not adopted and
implemented towards more positive outcomes.
21. 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.
22. Madam Chair, while technology is a key enabler of resilience, it will not
take us to the promised land by itself. Other key pieces of the puzzle must
be in place and at the right times. Please permit me to articulate a few for
your kind consideration:
▪ First, we must 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?
▪
Secondly, we must modernise how we teach relevant subjects. What
technological facilities can we deploy to teach them more effectively? How
can we take advantage of technological advancements to provide relevant
skills for students? How can we attract the best experts and practitioners
from home and abroad to help with cutting-edge research and teaching
in innovative ways?
▪
Thirdly, we need 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. We need a new generation of
students that live and operate by an Honour Code who will grow to lead
with integrity and selflessness for the benefit of our nation and our world.
A renewed emphasis on ethics and civic education is needed, going
forward.
▪ Fourthly, we 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. Strong alumni engagement should be key, just
as strong collaboration between the University and industry.
▪ Last, but not least, 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. While donations and endowments through partnerships will
go a long way and should be pursued, 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.
23. I believe that as we celebrate over the next year, clear strategies to
achieve the above will be helpful to promote a stronger and more
impactful university.
Conclusion
24. Madam Chair, distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, in conclusion,
please permit me to reiterate the significant contributions and successes
of this great institution over the past 75 years. It is my singular honour to
congratulate madam Chair and Chancellor, the Chair and members of
Council, the Vice Chancellor faculty, staff, students, and alumni on their
remarkable achievements.
25. We stand at the crossroads of time, have a rare opportunity, guided by
the lessons of the past and present, to looking into the future as best as
we can to envision a future that is even more glorious and impactful for
our nation, continent, and the world at large.
26. I have no doubt at all that our university will grow from strength to
strength and glory to glory in the decades and centuries to come, as it
harnesses technology for resilience and delivers inclusive and human-
centred educational and training programs.
27. I thank you all for your kind attention and pray for God's continued
blessings on all of us, on our University of Ghana, and on our beloved
Ghana.
Thank you.