CPP to introduce international distance learning scheme

A Government of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) says it will introduce an international distance learning scheme that will allow Ghanaian lecturers abroad to teach some classes in Ghana by the internet or satellite.

This according to the party, is to meet the expanded education needs of a growing population.

The CPP, will also collaborate with the non-state sector, including religious organisations, to invest heavily in infrastructure and most importantly, the provision of equipment for Science and Technology Teaching and in the quality of tutorship.

A CPP Government would also improve access and quality at all levels of education throughout the country.

All these were stated in its Election 2016 Policy Document, made available to the Ghana News Agency (GNA).

The analysis is part of the GNA’s project, “GNA Tracks Election 2016”, which seeks to sensitise the electorate on the various issues raised by political parties, elections management body and other governance institutions.

The GNA project also seeks to ensure gender and social inclusion in national politics and to provide a voice for the youth, vulnerable groups, opinion leaders and the broader spectrum of the society to contribute their quota to the achievement of a peaceful poll in December.

Another objective of the project is to create a platform to dissect the manifestos of all political parties and provide in-depth analysis of each thematic area to the electorate to enable them to make an informed judgement.

“We will raise the school leaving age to 18 years; secondary school will become part of basic education and will be made free, and boarding schools will be actively promoted as a way of reducing the cost of education,” the CPP stated.

“We will make vocational and technical education, mostly post-secondary, to ensure that those going to vocational and technical schools are adequately prepared academically."

“We will establish new Industrial Training Boards in every region tasked to increase the range of training opportunities for school leavers. They will not just be concerned with the traditional craft skills, but also deal with the office, the shop, and the farm, as well as the factory."

On tertiary Institutions, the CPP said the government under Ivor Kobina Greenstreet, will set up regional campuses for all state universities and other tertiary institutions to improve access and reduce the cost of higher education to households.

It will introduce professional managers, for example, with experience in managing large private or public organisations, to head state universities.

This, it said, will allow academicians to concentrate on teaching and research and improve the quality of leadership at these institutions.

The CPP said it will give students the opportunity to assess and rate their lecturers regularly in order to improve the quality of tertiary education.

It will enhance governance through quarterly publication of financial and management reports of tertiary institutions and the establishment of more transparent and pro-active mechanism to handle both staff and student grievances.

A CPP Government will also regulate the quality of private tertiary institutions and encourage them to collaborate with the state and the private sector to provide the manpower needs of the country.

According to the document, the poverty gap is a technology gap.

“The richest nations in the world are also the most technologically advanced; the poorest nations have the lowest level of technological development.”

It will upgrade Science and Technology facilities at all educational institutions and complete the Science and Technology Museum, which had been under construction for years.

It will adequately resource the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to play a more active role in national development and set up the Ghana Global Science and Technology Consortium (GGSTC) to foster cooperation between Ghanaian scientists at home and abroad.

It will provide tax incentives to businesses to apply scientific and technological knowledge to industry and the larger society as well as expand and improve the quality of the University of Mines and Technology to attract a bigger share of the international student market, while offering first class education to Ghanaians.

A CPP Government would organise Annual Science and Technology Awards for students and practitioners, both at home and abroad, in addition to promoting pre-tertiary and tertiary science education.


SOURCE: GNA