The President of the University of Education, Winneba chapter of the Graduate Students’ Association of Ghana (GRASAG), Stephen Osei Akyiaw, has suggested the need for government to devote enough funds for research to enhance the formulation and implementation of the ‘One District, One Factory’ programme.
According to him, a strong link between government’s plan and related quality research works will form a bedrock for the implementation of the policy.
Osei Akyiaw gave the suggestion in an interview with Citi News at the chapter’s 2nd International Multidisciplinary Conference for Post Graduate Students held today (Tuesday) at the University on the theme: Reshaping Graduate Studies for Sustainable Development of the African Continent.
He, however, asked the academia for well thought out quality research works that will prove relevant to industry and national policy.
“It will surprise you to know that some of the research works done by some graduate students are not the best, so sometimes you send it and you realize that the supervisor or the institution has no option than to push it aside. Some are also very relevant, and I can tell you that most of the relevant ones are pushed,” he explained.
Government has announced an ambitious industrialization plan through its ‘One District, One Factory’ policy; however, concerns from diverse quarters have been expressed about the clarity of the policy and its success.
The graduate students are of the view that tapping the rich findings and recommendations from various research works that relate to the policy could be a way of addressing the concerns.
On his part, the guest speaker at the conference, Chief Dr. Ramon Adegoke Adedoyin of the Oduduwa University, Nigeria, observed that most African brains in the academia are leaving the continent for financial reasons.
He urged African governments to be “alive to their responsibilities” and “pay more attention to academia and other vital areas”.
Chief Adedoyin, on the other hand, disagreed that that the various curricula in Africa should be overhauled, arguing, “the curriculum we have here is far different from the curriculum in the developed countries, and things are changing here because people are already giving more attention to technical education rather than the old form of curriculum we had.”
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By: Joseph Ackon-Mensah/citifmonline.com/Ghana