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20.10.2014 General News

Institute Of Local Government Studies Holds Matriculation

By McAnthony Dagyenga
Institute Of Local Government Studies Holds Matriculation
20.10.2014 LISTEN

Accra, Oct. 20, GNA-The Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS) has matriculated a total of 76 graduate students, made up of 63 males and 13 females, to pursue programmes leading to the award of maters degree.


The programmes include Master of Arts in Local Government Administration and Organization (LGAO), Master of Science in Environmental Science, Policy and Management (ESPM), Master of Science in Local Economic Development (LED) and Master of Science in Local Government Financial Management (LGFM).

Students would undertake two years academic duration of a one year course work and another one year of thesis writing.

Speaking at the fourth matriculation ceremony, Dr Esther Ofei-Aboagye, the Director of ILGS, said offering the graduate programmes was not a departure from the Institute's mandate, “but a natural progression in the effort to anchor local government capacity and practice in solid academic foundations.”

She stressed that the ILGS would endeavour to ensure that its graduate studies are relevant to promoting effective participation of all stakeholders in national and local governance.

“Local government and the delivery of local services and development are changing and becoming more challenging places to work in, and our patrons would be equipped to be proactive and confident agents of change,” she said.

Professor Olivia Kwapong, an educationist at the University of Ghana, implored the graduate students to shun the attitude of reproducing concepts and theories which had already been established by some scholars.

She urged them to rather think outside the box to propound their own ideas and solutions to address challenges in the society.

“we are already aware of the existing theories and concepts in books, we do not expect you to reproduce them for the sake of passing your examinations or for degrees; we expect you to measure your output by how you propound your own ideas and critiquing the existing theories; do not just chew, pour, pass and forget,” she advised.

Professor Mrs Kwapong expressed disappointment that education which is supposed to build the mind, heart and hands of the individual rather seemed to only build the mind and the heart to the neglect of the hands.

She said as a result most students grew up without entrepreneurial skills which are expedient for eliminating unemployment issues and for the development of the nation.

Professor Mrs Kwapong suggested that Ghana's educational orientation should be reviewed especially at the basic level to strengthen the development of the entrepreneurial skills of the pupils so they could grow to appreciate technical education and to as well be equipped to be independent.

Mr Samuel Okudzeto, Deputy Education Minister in-charge of tertiary education, appreciated that the future of quality education in the country was embedded in local government studies and therefore called on scholars to design ideas that would enable the education ministry to effectively decentralize the education sector.

“It is only through local government administration that education will be enhanced; we can only supervise effectively if we break the shackles of centralization and decentralize to achieve quality education in Ghana,” he said.

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