The School of Education and Leadership of the College of Education, University of Ghana and the Department of Education, University of Sussex have organized the first International Conference on Education Research for Development in Africa (ICERDA) on the theme, “Harnessing Education Research for Evidence-Based Development”.
Prof. John Gyapong, Pro-Vice-Chancellor in charge of Research, Innovation and Development
The Pro-Vice-Chancellor in charge of Research, Innovation and Development, Prof. John Gyapong who chaired the opening ceremony on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor, described the conference as an institutional process involving external stakeholders which will help guide the university as it embarks on its journey to becoming a research intensive university in line with the vision of the university.
He noted that the university encourages partnerships, and as the youngest college, it was important for the College of Education to partner with other universities.
Rev. Prof. Cephas Omenyo, Provost of the College of Education
The Provost of the College of Education, Rev. Prof. Cephas Omenyo in his address said, the College is committed to the use of high quality research to inform teaching and research practices. He added that, the college recognizes the importance of media applications and other technologies and it is critical that teachers are prepared to use such technologies to enhance their mode of instruction and the engagement of difficult categories of learners in different contexts. He therefore described the strong partnership with the University of Sussex as a first step to develop the identity of a quality research institution.
He mentioned that in February this year, the University of Ghana signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Sussex. A major part of the agreement he said, highlighted partnerships between faculty members of the two institutions. The partnerships would provide the opportunity for UG students of the College to be taught and mentored by top researchers from the University of Sussex whilst studying here at the University of Ghana.
Prof. Omenyo noted that the College was pleased to be associated with the University of Sussex which was ranked by the Times Higher Education World University rankings as 4th in the UK for research influence and 34th globally for research influence among top 200 world universities. In the area of education, the University of Sussex boasts some of the world’s foremost authorities on education and international development.
Prof. Kwame Akyeampong, University of Sussex - Keynote Speaker
Delivering the keynote address on the topic, “A Vision of Successful Education in Ghana: What Role for Research?” Prof. Kwame Akyeampong, a Professor of International Education and Development at the University of Sussex stressed on how research can be used to understand the state of education in various countries. He spoke on the use of large scale data to explore how access to education has been changing in relation to wealth, gender, location and other indicators of marginalization.
Prof. Brian Hudson, University of Sussex
In a brief message on behalf of the University of Sussex, Prof. Brian Hudson, Professor of Education and Head of the School of Education and Social Work, expressed excitement that in less than four months of the partnership between the two institutions, quite a bit has been achieved. He expressed the hope that the bond between the two universities will be strengthened over the years.
There were parallel and panel discussions addressed by various academics from the University of Ghana, University of Sussex, University of Cape Coast, the Ghana Institute of Journalism and the University of Education, Winneba. Participants at the Conference were drawn from tertiary institutions in Ghana and Nigeria as well as stakeholders in the educational sector.
The ICERDA is expected to be an annual Conference. A positive outcome from the Conference will be the publication of a journal jointly owned by the two institutions, as a way of disseminating the findings from the conference. There will be a follow up of emerging issues through the formation of research groups around the sub-themes. Additionally, Doctoral and Post-Doctoral fellowships in educational research for in-depth study of problems of African development through education will be institutionalized.
The Interim Coordinator of the School of Education and Leadership, Dr. Yaa Cole and a faculty member Dr. Ernest Ampadu, led the Conference organizing team.
Present at the opening ceremony were the Registrar, Mrs. Mercy Haizel Ashia; Provost of the College Humanities, Prof. Samuel Agyei-Mensah; Chairman of the College of Education Advisory Board, Mr. Felix Nyarko-Pong; Members of the Advisory board, Rev. Dr. Joyce Aryee and Prof. John Hyde; stakeholders from various educational institutions, participants at the conference and members of the university community.
Participants at group sessions
