Problem-solving should be the hallmark of tertiary education - Prof. Agyapong-Kodua

The Vice-Chancellor of Pentecost University, Prof. Kwabena Agyapong-Kodua has charged tertiary institutions to stimulate problem-solving forms of learning in their institutions.

He made the call in an interview on Pent TV, hosted by JB Danquah.

In the interview that touched on many issues, Prof. Agyapong- Kodua noted tertiary education primarily exists to offer research-based solutions to human problems such as housing, environmental degradation, poor customer service.

He, therefore, asked managements of Universities and other tertiary level institutions to strategically transition their students from mere understanding to how-to-use fundamentals that were learned at basic levels.

He said, “a properly structured educational system focuses on teaching students fundamental stuff such as basic alpha-numeric skills at the basic level; but when they move on, their teaching and learning should be linking these fundamentals to real problems and their solutions.”

The young and respected academic lamented that the situation is different in Ghana and Africa.

He said, “unfortunately, tertiary level in Ghana and most developing countries is more like advanced secondary education; which adds very little to the fundamentals the students learned at the basic level.”

He attributed this to minimal resources and colonial history that formed the basis of these institutions. He, therefore, admonished the universities to resource themselves through competitive research grants acquisition, government support, etc, to boost solution-oriented teaching and learning.

Commenting further, Prof. Agyapong-Kodua said training problem-solving graduates is not restricted to any academic discipline.

“Let me add this that every academic discipline be it in arts, natural or social science has profound solutions to real-life problems; what is required is a teaching and learning model that will link the learning to solutions.” He, therefore, called on governments and industries in all fields to engage tertiary institutions for research-based solutions.

Prof. Kwabena Agyapong-Kodua is an accomplished scholar in Advanced System Engineering and a member of the Royal Institute of Engineering, UK. He has consulted for the UK government, Rolls Royce, IBM, and other global firms.

He was appointed VC of Pentecost University in June 2020. He has since rolled out a University A+ agenda that seeks to transform PU into a distinguished research-driven university that solves problems ethically.