As part of our drive to share views of universities administrators on how they want prospective students to select their career and university, we reached to Prof. Clement Dzidonu, President of Accra Institute of Technology, Ghana. Prof. Dzidonu shared his views on education transformation in Africa with e-learning and how AIT is playing a crucial role in this transformation.
Universities across the world are shifting their delivery model from conventional class room delivery to more technology oriented delivery, with anytime anywhere access of knowledge, which usually students used to get by their physical presence in the class. One of the premier private universities in Ghana has been the pioneer in initiating the Open University concept to the students of sub-region, which saw a phenomenal growth in terms of reach and enrolments.
Accra Institute of Technology (AIT) is the first on the block to introduce modern technology-based Open University program delivery in Ghana and in the sub-region. As per Prof. Clement, AIT sees Open University academic programs delivery different from the traditional distance education programs being offered at a number of the public and private universities in Ghana and elsewhere in Africa. AIT introduced the Open University approach to education delivery in Ghana in order to dramatically improve enrollment and broaden access to tertiary education. AIT does recognize that the accelerating pace of technological change is having a major impact on university education, including altering and influencing how students, faculty, and staff interact. Students expect to interact with their peers and with faculty 24 hours/7 days and to have immediate access to digital resources, instructional technology, and interactive learning. Online information, sophisticated Internet-based search engines, digital libraries, and multimedia learning resources are transforming where and when students learn and what constitutes a classroom. Learning that was once closely held in designated spaces now becomes available from any location where there is computer access and a willing learner.
Prof. Clement Dzidonu further stressed that at AIT, the distinctive feature of their Open University education delivery is e-learning – with learners having unlimited online access to learning resources anytime and anywhere, whether they are in a classroom environment, at home, at work or on-the-move (mobile). Because of its interactive capacity and because it provides learning resources which can be changed and turned into new information, e-learning is qualitatively different from the traditional model in education.
On the view of chances of Ghana losing its position of being regional education hub for students from the sub-region, Prof. Clement was quite confident that Ghana still remains one of the strongest Education Hubs in the region with students coming from West Africa and other African countries. He stressed that the standard of Ghana’s educational system is relatively high within the sub-region and the fact that Ghana is now regarded as providing a stable and peaceful environment conducive for education at all level of its educational system, means that it is becoming a destination of choice for students within the sub-region. Particularly on university education, Ghana now boast of one hundred and seventy-six (176) accredited private and public tertiary institutions; and a number of these including AIT are offering top-class degree programs across a range of academic programs covering, engineering, medicine, business administration, computing sciences among others. Ghana learning from the experience of Malaysia is positioning herself to serve as a regional education hub for the West and Central Africa sub-regions. AIT is in the forefront in promoting and pushing this agenda targeting recruiting international students from the region and beyond.
Prof. Clement Dzidonu commended the role being played by UniAfrica.net in assisting the universities in Africa to publicize and showcase their programs, facilities and capabilities to potential students within and beyond the continent. He told that UniAfrica.net is no doubt providing a key information and advisory service to potential university students seeking admission to enter universities in African countries. Given that higher education is the key to the development of the knowledge work force needed for driving economic development in African countries in the emerging information and technological age, it goes without saying that the role being played by UniAfrica.net to bridge the student-university information gap is contributing to addressing Africa’s human resource gap in critical skill areas.
As an advice to students and other young Africans, Prof. Clement Dzidonu advised students to always remember that: it is not the past, but rather it is the future which is at stake and this future starts from today. That future, I promise you will offer you opportunities that will present you with a number of possibilities to choose from to make a difference in your lives, your families, society, country and in the world at large. Whatever you do, as a youth of Africa, remember to do something great with your life. And remember, no one climbs high by thinking low; you can’t get any higher than the height you set yourself. Putting it another way: “If you place a limit on what you can do, you have placed a limit on what you can become.” …. never forget that.
Source: www.uniafrica.net.
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