Government urged to invest in Open, Distance and e-learning infrastructure

Professor Dr Goski Alabi, the Consulting President, Laweh Open University College, has urged the government and the private sector to invest in Open, Distance and e-learning infrastructure. 

Prof. Alabi was speaking at the fourth graduation ceremony of the University College in Accra, with 24 Undergraduates and 11 Postgraduate students graduating. 

The event was on the theme: “Leveraging the gains of Open, Distance and e-Learning (ODeL)to improve quality of tertiary education in Ghana”.  

The Laweh Open University College is the first authorised Open University College in Ghana. 

She said ODeL in Ghana had become an incontestable fact, and that COVID-19 had served as the flickering flame that ignited its employment and deployment on a wider scale globally and stressed the need for investment in the area. 

She said the use of ODeL as a method of teaching and learning was in consonance with the continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA 16-25) of the African Union, which sought to provide each education stakeholder the opportunity to make its best contribution to education and training in Africa. 

“The benefit of ODeL is invaluable. Talk about the huge numbers engaged in ODeL, the countless online meetings, wider access to tertiary education and the money, time and energy saved,” she said. 

Prof. Alabi said they had devised several techniques to ensure that the quality of examination and assessment was not compromised, and that they were ready to share the knowledge with other entities in the educational space.  

“We are willing to engage in public-private partnership with government to execute some of these cutting-edge approaches to teaching and learning in general,” she added. 

The Consulting President urged the graduates to always remember that it was attitude, passion and drive that would set them apart from the crowd.  

Mrs Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, Member of Parliament (MP) for Krowor, called on the graduates to make positive impacts in the world of work and help address the challenges of society. 

She said over the years, research had proven that Open, Distance and e-Learning (ODeL) had made easier the realisation of dreams of many and aided in the improvement of the lives of many through access to higher education. 

She said ODeL, with the associated advancement of technology, prepared students for the job market. 

The MP said with the introduction of ODeL not only were bottlenecks to higher education removed, but the quality of education was also improved with students having access to abundance of knowledge using technology and discussant groups. 

Mrs Lartey said the essence of departing from the traditional form of education became more imperative in the wake of COVID 19, which brought distance and e-Learning. 

She said ODeL was a more flexible alternative to accessing higher education, and that to sustain the gains, it was important for the State to evaluate its role with stakeholders to remove all hinderances and enhance access to higher education.  

Madam Bansah Delali Afi was awarded the Best student for the Master of Business Administration in Procurement and Supply Chain Management, while Madam Wogbey Caroline was awarded the Best student for the Master of Business Administration in Human Resources Management. 

Mr Tottimeh Ebenezer Solomon was also the Best student for the Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and Accounting, while Opoku Andrews Akwa was the best student for the Bachelor of Business Administration in Human Resources. The overall best student was Ms Frimpong Lois.