IERIS-UEW Hosts International Conference on Innovation and Teacher Education
The University of Education, Winneba (UEW) through its Institute for Educational Research and Innovation Studies (IERIS) hosted a two-day international conference at the North Campus Mini-Conference Room on Thursday, 16th and Friday, 17th October, 2025.
The conference brought together academics, researchers, policymakers and education practitioners from across Ghana and beyond to deliberate on how teacher education can drive sustainable national development through research, innovation and inclusivity. It was held under the theme “Innovating Teacher Education for a Sustainable Future: Enhancing Pedagogy, Technology, and Inclusivity in the 21st Century Learning Environment.”
The opening ceremony of the two-day event featured Mr. Akwasi Addae Boahene, Chief Technical Advisor for Transforming Teaching, Education and Learning (T-TEL), as the guest speaker. He urged universities, particularly UEW, to spearhead Ghana’s teacher education transformation by integrating innovation in pedagogy, technology, and inclusivity into teacher training.
Mr. Boahene stressed that research must move beyond academic journals to influence classroom practice and national policy while calling for stronger partnerships between universities and the Ghana National Research Fund to ensure that educational research directly informs policy and practice.
The conference also featured three plenary presentations. Mr. Justice Ray Achoanya Ayam, Deputy Director of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA), presented on “Educational Policy Reforms and Governance: The Way Forward.” He described education as “the heartbeat of national transformation” and called for stronger governance systems and curriculum reforms that integrate artificial intelligence, smart learning and data-driven assessment to prepare learners for the digital economy.
Prof. Vincent Adzahlie-Mensah, Principal of the SDA College of Education, Koforidua-Asokore, spoke on “Education Policy and Sustainable Leadership and Advancement in Early Childhood Education.” He advocated for an urgent review of Ghana’s early childhood policy to align with contemporary developmental goals, cautioning that outdated frameworks hinder progress and sustainability in the education sector.
In her presentation on “STEM Education Holds the Future of National Development,” Prof. Ruby Hanson, former Dean of the Faculty of Science Education at UEW, underscored the critical role of STEM in driving national development. She emphasised the need for inclusivity and gender balance in science education, urging policymakers and educators to invest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics as tools for national progress.
Representing the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Frimpong Kaakyire Duku, Principal of the College for Distance and e-Learning (CODeL-UEW), chaired the opening session and commended IERIS for creating a platform for scholarly engagement and innovation. He highlighted the need for bold reforms in teacher education to meet the demands of the 21st century, calling for a paradigm shift from traditional teaching models to flexible, technology-driven and collaborative approaches.
Prof. Duku further proposed the inclusion of the arts to expand STEM into STEAM education, promoting creativity alongside scientific advancement.
Prof. Esther Yeboah Danso-Wiredu, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of UEW, lauded IERIS for organising a timely and impactful conference that aligns with the University’s mandate to lead innovation in teacher education and research. She reiterated the University’s commitment to supporting platforms that translate educational research into transformative practice.
In a welcome address, Prof. Hope Pius Nudzor, Director of IERIS, reaffirmed the institute’s commitment to fostering dialogue among scholars, policymakers and practitioners. He noted that the conference sought to explore innovative pedagogical practices that empower educators to nurture critical thinking, creativity and inclusivity in classrooms.
The conference also featured a hands-on training workshop for senior high school teachers, facilitated by Mad. Alberta Tachie, Curriculum Implementation Specialist at T-TEL, and Dr. Victus Kumazah, a Research Fellow at UEW. The workshop aimed to build teachers’ capacity in innovative and inclusive pedagogical practices.
In addition, the event included breakout sessions where researchers presented papers in concurrent 20-minute sessions. These sessions provided an interactive platform for participants to share findings, discuss emerging trends in education and propose context-specific solutions for teacher education and national development.
The conference concluded with a call for stronger collaboration between academia, policymakers and industry stakeholders to ensure that educational innovations effectively address the evolving needs of learners and society.
