Gender Mainstreaming Directorate Holds Mentoring Programme for Senior Members
The Gender Mainstreaming Directorate of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) on Wednesday, 4th November, 2020, held a mentoring programme for senior members of the University who were recruited within the last three years.
The programme took place at the Jophus Anamuah-Mensah Conference Centre, North Campus, Winneba.
Some senior members at the Mentoring programme
The workshop held under the theme “The Role of Mentoring in Enhancing the Career Development of Senior Members in UEW” is intended to help groom and guide newly appointed senior members through their career paths, as well as to make them resourceful in discharging their duties towards contributing proficiently to the success of the University.
The Vice-Chancellor and Chairman for the occasion, the Very Rev. Fr. Prof. Anthony Afful-Broni, in his welcome address, hinted that UEW was in the process of developing a comprehensive policy document on mentoring staff, which would be published and out doored soon.
Very Rev. Fr. Prof. Anthony Afful-Broni addressing participants
He urged participants to pick out salient information from the facilitators to assist them in navigating their experiences and challenges likely to be encountered in work at the University.
“You don’t just make progress; progress doesn’t just happen to you, it must be consciously crafted. You will have to make conscious efforts too, yes! Every serious institution puts in place concrete and serious structures to facilitate members’ capacity to make good use of the available opportunities so that they can rise. But at the end of the day, it lies within your own bosom to take that critical and sometimes painful steps towards it,” he advised.
Addressing the audience on the theme, the Ag. Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Andy Ofori-Birikorang described mentors as people who provide guidance and support to young career professionals based on their unique developmental needs. He added that guidance and support occur in three core areas namely professional, career, and personal development.
Prof. Andy Ofori-Birikorang
He, however, charged participants to start by believing in themselves and their career, have an objective view of themselves, and add value to their personal and professional lives to gain on the transformative power of mentoring.
Speaking on her journey to becoming a professor, the Dean, Faculty of Science Education, Prof. (Mrs.) Ruby Hanson stressed that the journey had not been rosy at all, but she had to put in a lot of hard work, dedication, and determination to achieve that feat.
Prof. (Mrs.) Ruby Hanson
She encouraged participants not to allow internal and external hindrances which might come their way to distract them, but rather be focused, persevere, be accommodating, and with confidence in themselves, and in other people who might want to help shrug off the same.
“There is nothing that you can do all by yourself. We support each other; we need each other to move on. Therefore, though certain areas of your life may be a little difficult for you to become, even a senior lecturer, remember that you have the goal and you have everybody else to help you to move on up to that hilltop,” she said.
Presenting on the topic “Publishing in Scholarly Journals”, the Director, Institute for Teacher Education, and Continuing Professional Development (ITECPD), Prof. Dandy George Dampson admonished participants to publish original papers in quality professional journals or perish in the University.
Prof. Dandy George Dampson in his presentation
“I have seen many of my colleagues perish because they did not publish. Is it just that we have to publish anything or we have to publish something scholarly? Because at the end of the day, your promotion as a lecturer is dependent on the quality of what you publish. How are you going to feel if you publish 15 papers, send them for senior lectureship, and then the internal assessor tells you that none of them is good? How will you feel, on the other hand, if you have just six papers, send the same for assessment and then the internal assessor says they are good? You forward the same to an external assessor and he also says they are good? Let’s think about these two scenarios; so, we need to publish, otherwise, we perish,” he emphasised.
Dr. Lucy Effeh Attom (left) and Dr. Esther Danso-Wiredu
Ending the presentation session, the Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences Education, Dr. Lucy Effeh Attom, and Senior Lecturer, Department of Geography, Dr. Esther Danso-Wiredu shared their personal experiences on mentoring in academia. They advised participants to humble themselves at all times before their mentors. They cautioned participants never to destroy their colleagues just for favours before the authority or for promotion.
There was an open forum after which the Division of Human Resource assigned mentees to their mentors.
