Stakeholders on ODel projects urged not to accept negatives - Minister

Winneba, April 1, GNA - Professor Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang, Minister of Education, has advised stakeholders on the Open, Distance e-Learning Centre (ODeL) Project, particularly the Information Communication Technology Technocrats (ICT), the Academics and the students, not to accept the negatives until they have thoroughly explored the positives.

'Do not find faults, formulate solutions and never look back, unless you want to go that way' she urged.

Prof. Naana Agyemang gave the advice in a speech delivered by Mr. Francis Avugbey ICT specialist on her behalf at the inauguration of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), and the African Virtual University (AVU) ODeL Centre in Winneba.

The ODel Centre is educational and support services aimed at building the capacity of AVU Partner Institution with an objective of increasing access to quality education, through activities including, up-dating and development content, open educational resources development, funded by the African Development Bank, and is implemented in 12 countries in Africa.

Burkina Faso, DRC, Mail, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Gambia, Nigeria, Sudan, South Sudan and Ghana are the beneficiary countries.

According to the Minister, the provision of the ODel Centre by AVU, ICT based Open Distance Education Project,   will place UEW in a unique position to extend its academic programmes to more students throughout the country, using modern technologies.

'For me as an educationist and Minister for the sector, the beauty of this is in the cost saving approach, cost which would have otherwise been incurred in hosting several students on campus, and using classroom learning materials would be saved,' the minister added

Prof. Naana Agyemang stated further that, there are challenges at the beginning of everything, but they should resolve to get over them quickly and move forward.

Education will free us from the reins of poverty, and mount us on the saddle and wealth of which in that regard the government of Ghana, and governments all over the world, have made education one of its topmost priority areas of speeding, she added.

She lamented that, there is no speed limit in the pursuit of excellence, and therefore in anticipation of the increase in the number of students applying for admission to the universities, the government has established two more public universities, the University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, and the University of Renewable Natural Resources, Sunyani, with another to be established in Eastern Region.

The minister admonished that the establishment of ODel Centre at the University of Education, Winneba Campus by AVU, will go a long way to give more people access to the University, and thanked AVU for their immense assistance for the establishment of the project, and it is a demonstration of the strong bilateral relationship the countries enjoy.

GNA