Faculty of Science Education Undergoes Maiden Retreat
The Faculty of Science Education (FSE), University of Education, Winneba (UEW), embarked on its maiden retreat at the Elmina Beach Resort in the Central Region of Ghana from Thursday, 26th to Sunday, 29th August, 2021.
The retreat, intended to improve productivity and efficiency of staff in the Faculty, was under the theme: “Pathway to Professional Growth, Best Teaching and Research Practices”.
Staff in the Faculty present at the retreat were groomed by astute academicians, researchers and grant masters on self-improvement and professional development topics such as qualitative research, quantitative research, career development, how to conduct oneself in an academic environment, proposal writing to attract funding and health issues.
The astute resource persons who made presentations at the retreat were Dr. Hinneh Kusi, Prof. Charles K. Assuah, Mr. Charles Denkyi, Prof. Yaw Ameyaw, Prof. Samuel K. Asiedu-Addo, Prof. M. K. Amedeker and Dr. Emmanuel Osei Sarpong.
The eight Departments in the Faculty met in caucus to brainstorm to develop new academic programmes and course manuals.
The Dean of FSE, Prof. Ruby Hanson, in her welcome address and purpose for the retreat, expressed her delight at the encouraging commitment of the Faculty Members to make the retreat a success.
“We were not sure that you would be able to make it to this retreat because you had other very important assignments, yet you were able to set those aside and come for this retreat. I hope that you will gain as much as you had that great desire to come,” she said.
Prof. Ruby Hanson stressed the importance of academic retreats and everyone’s desire to grow in their profession personally and career-wise. “It is at such fora that we can work together with others, learn about best practices that will push our work on, and then help us to develop as individuals for our own benefit and that of our institutions and nation.”
The Dean admonished participants to constantly develop themselves, learn to develop the Faculty which they come from, and also learn to foster relationships that will bind the Faculty. “We need to forge some kind of alliance so that we can work better in this career that we have chosen and to better ourselves.”
The Director of Quality Assurance, Prof. Emmanuel Obed Acquah, who chaired the opening ceremony of the retreat on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor, Rev. Fr. Prof. Anthony Afful-Broni, commended Prof. Ruby Hanson and her Vice-Dean, Prof. Victor Antwi, for the tremendous efforts to make the retreat come to fruition.
He urged participants to be transpired at the retreat to develop themselves professionally. “Your development is not in anybody’s hand but it is your own responsibility. You have to find a way of creating a culture of self-improvement and professional growth. The Faculty will provide you with all the technical and academic things but if you do not have a change to adapt to what they are going to tell you, you will not make the desired progress.”
Prof. Acquah entreated attendees to prioritise socialisation and share expertise amongst themselves to build a formidable Faculty in the UEW.
The representative of the Registrar, Surv. Paul Osei-Barima Esq., Mr. Reginald S. K. Agbo, Deputy Registrar, UEW Printing Press, on his part, indicated that “the prowess of any university is demonstrated by the research that is done by its Faculty”.
He projected, “by the time you leave here on Sunday, it would be expected that you would have developed new skills that would impact positively on your research and teaching programmes at the Faculty of Science Education”.
