The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has challenged academia to wean itself off gross partisanship and cultivate an enviable culture of rigorous objectivity since currently the role of academia is being downplayed due to the infiltration of divisive partisanship.
According to Asantehene, globally, universities have played a crucial role in shaping policies and revolutionizing societies through scientific and other research discoveries, he however laments that in Ghana there is a lack of meaningful collaboration between the state and academia.
“Much of the scientific and other discoveries that have revolutionized society owe their roots to the universities and the collaboration between universities and either the state or private business. Unfortunately, in our country, there’s hardly any evidence of the meaningful collaboration that needs to exist between the state and the universities.
...One reason the role of academia has been downplayed is that we have allowed the abrasive political divisions to permit our sacred campuses and turn them into battlegrounds for partisan combat, instead of for imbibing and dispensing knowledge. It is time, in my view, for all of us to wake up to the negative impact this has caused and make an effort to reverse the situation.”
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, made this call at a ceremony to confer an Honorary Doctorate Degree on him by the University of Cape Coast (UCC).
He thus called for a new relationship between academia, the state, and business leaders to address the country’s challenges.
“We can begin fashioning a new relationship between state and academia that engages the expertise of academia in the process of policy formulation on a continuous basis. This could be the beginning of continuous collaboration between academia, the state, and captains of business in finding solutions to many of our social problems. For this to happen, however, we will need academia to win itself of gross partisanship and cultivate and enshrine a culture of rigorous objectivity."
He continued: "This should allow the universities, as a collective responsibility, to establish the right mechanism for rigorous, continuous evaluation of the performance of national institutions, and help inject some efficiency into the system to help us inspire a new era in which the achievement of measurable national goals take precedence over the pursuit of personal gains, with an environment in which the state can reach out across party boundaries to draw On the patriotic service of his expert without attracting unwelcome labels.”
Otumfuo in his address, quizzed that despite the high levels of education among the populace manning various sectors of the economy, issues of economic distress, legislative gridlock, and declining public confidence in law enforcement persist.
“Logically, you would expect this output of highly educated leaders to translate into greater efficiency in the management of our affairs, particularly in the management of the national economy. So when I hear the endless cementations about our economy being in distress, when I see our, legislature in gridlock, when I’m told about the decline in public confidence in law enforcement, I can’t help asking myself, is what education can live up for all our investment and all our sacrifices,” he added.
Hence, the call for a rigorous evaluation of the outcomes of education to stem the erosion of public confidence.
The conferment of the Honorary Doctorate Degree on the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, according to the University is in recognition of his outstanding contributions to nation-building, peace, and development.
The ceremony was graced by a diverse crowd of dignitaries and was marked by a display of traditional Ghanaian culture and academic excellence.
