ADDRESS BY HON. MINISTER OF EDUCATION

PROF. C. AMEYAW-AKUMFI AT THE.AFRICAN

UNIVERSITY DAY, CELEBRATION AT

THE KWAME NKRUMAH UNIVERSITY

OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

ON

TUESDAY, 13^th NOVEMBER 2001

Mr. Chairman,
Chairman, AAU
Representative, Secretary General, AAU
Representative of Regional Minister
Vice - Chancellors
Deans, Heads of Department, Senior and junior Members of the University
Distinguished Invited Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It gives me great pleasure to have been invited to this year's African University Day Celebration.

I wish to express my profound gratitude to the organizers, the Association of African Universities (AAU) and the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principal (CVCP) for extending this invitation to me.

I find the theme to be most appropriate because the emergence of a global economy and the subsequent rapid technological changes have called into question the mission and objectives which have guided higher education in Africa.

Mr Chairman, we are all aware that the world has now become a small global village. The creation of the European Union and its extension to cover countries formerly belonging to the "Eastern Block" in Europe, the introduction of the use of a common currency, the Euro, of the European Union, the creation of the African Union as well as the formation of various regional economic integration bodies the world over, are pointers to this fact. The essence of regional economic integration is to forge closer links as well as create larger and easily accessible markets.

Even more significant is the new challenge arising from the convergent impacts of globalisation, the increasing importance of knowledge as a main driver of growth, and information and communications revolution.

The situation is more complex than it seems, because while there are new challenges arising out of globalization, there are already unresolved ones many of which have been -with the tertiary education sector for years.

Among these unresolved challenges are: the expansion of tertiary education coverage in a sustainable way, the reduction of inequalities of access and outcomes, the improvement of educational quality and relevance, and the introduction of effective governance structure and management practices. There are many qualified candidates who are outside the tertiary education system. Tertiary education continues to be largely elitist while financial resources continue to hie insufficient to sustain growth.

Morale among staff is low and the threat of HIV/AIDS can no longer be taken for granted. These are issues, which confront us as managers of tertiary education institutions as a government, as a country, continent and as a global economy.

But the situation is not altogether gloomy. New opportunities are emerging. For example, in response to the challenges of globalisation and the ICT revolution investments in knowledge-based intangibles such as training, research and development, patents, designs marketing, computer software, etc have become as important as investments in physical capital.

What we can do as tertiary education institutions and as a country is to seek to build our capacity and to tap into the new knowledge market.

Universities have played and will continue to play a critical role in the development of Africa. . They have trained teachers, scientists, political and economic leaders of the respective countries in Africa. Universities have generated and disseminated knowledge and have provided considerable service to society.

But, as poverty levels deepen and the rate of population growth continues to outstrip food production, as unemployment levels increase, and the health, status of our people worsens and financial crisis deepens, a lot more will be demanded of our universities and tertiary education institutions.

Our challenges are complex and intertwined. There are no simple answers. Admittedly, the level of funding of the universities and tertiary institutions has been low to the extent that allocations for academic services such as library, research and teaching facilities and, equipment have suffered severe cuts in recent years. The worsening academic environment and declining opportunities for career development have also affected, staff morale.

These trends must be reversed. African governments and their universities and tertiary institutions have no other option. There can be no poverty reduction or sustainable transformation and growth in all sectors of the economy without the contribution of an innovative tertiary education system.

It is for this reason that I am happy to note the innovative responses of the Association of African Universities (AAU) and indeed some of our universities to the challenges facing.

In response to the crisis of the 1980's the AAU commissioned a number of studies which have generated reports which deepen our understanding of the problems confronting us as African institutions and nations. The AAU study on cost ctiveness and efficiency in nine representative African universities published in May, 1991 is particularly instructive in this regard. While acknowledging the significant achievements made by African universities especially with regard to service to their communities, the study recommended a review of institutional governance systems with a view to making the universities more proactive in taking initiatives to improve their efficiency and cost-effectiveness. The need for universities to regain the initiative to appraise their broad goals, objectives, and mission and to adopt strategic plans to respond to the changing conditions and new challenges, cannot be overemphasized.

It has, become more urgent now than before to understand the complex envirorunent in which universities and other tertiary institutions operate.

It cannot be doubted that an improved understanding of the nature of tertiary institutions would be beneficial to everyone - not least of all, the institutions themselves - when the development of policy is informed and influenced by an appreciation of current institutional challenges as well as those that the future would bring.

The role of the AAU in promoting the exchange of staff and experiences among member institutions and in responding to the challenges facing higher educations is commendable. Even more remarkable is the training offered to senior University managers since the early 1990's with a view to increasing their appreciation of the changing tertiary landscape and enhancing their managerial skills.

Although some effort has gone into linking the institutions in Africa electronically, not much has been achieved in this respect.

This is one problem that both the AAU and the CVCP should address to enable our institutions to take advantage of developments in the global market.

Mr Chairman, the quality of knowledge that we generate in our institutions of higher education, and its availability to the wider economy, is critical to our competitiveness in the global market. Knowledge has now become the spring board for economic growth and development. Students these days, must not only learn what is known now but must also be up to date. New technology-based tools for gathering knowledge must become crucial elements in education, and curricula should be designed so that students know how to learn.

Higher education institutions now need to provide Opportunities for in-depth study of particular fields, while also offering general education programme that can serve as a solid foundation for life-long learning and later specialization.

Mr Chairman, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, globalization has, indeed, put higher education in a difficult perspective. It is, therefore, important for higher education institutions in Africa to recognize the impact of globalization and tailor educational efforts towards the creation of a system that would remain relevant to the changing tertiary landscape.

The challenge for the AAU is to continue to pioneer efforts at building institutional capacities to meet the changing needs of both the national and global economies.

Long Live AAU, Long Live universities of Ghana and Africa.