UEW Discusses with NCHE Strategies to Strengthen Liberia's Higher Education System
The University of Education, Winneba (UEW) has provided insight on quality assurance and best practices at the university to a three-member delegation from the National Commission on Higher Education (NCHE), Liberia, to help strengthen the higher education system in Liberia.
The three-member delegation was accompanied by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) as part of the former’s study tour of Ghana to explore the accomplishments of GTEC in respect of quality assurance in higher education and to leverage these best practices in building vibrant and competitive systems in Liberian higher education institutions.
Prof. Victor Antwi, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of UEW
In welcoming the delegation to UEW, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of UEW, Prof. Victor Antwi, assured the delegation that they were in the right place to solicit ideas for the building of robust higher education systems in the Republic of Liberia.
"You're right to say that Ghana is the best place to visit. Again, you are right to come here first. When it comes to education, UEW is the best. So, we are glad to receive and interact with you on how best we can collaborate. I was particularly happy to hear that we could synchronise some of the programmes or courses we do so that your degrees and certificates would be accorded the same dignity and recognition everywhere," he professed.
Prof. Antwi was hopeful that the ideas shared at the meeting would improve Liberia's education, as envisaged by the delegation. He underscored UEW’s commitment to helping NCHE follow the right path in improving higher education in the Republic of Liberia.
Prof. Robert Ghunney, Director of Quality Assurance
The Director of Quality Assurance at UEW, Prof. Robert Ghunney, reckoned that his outfit operates on institutional and academic levels. According to him, the Office for Institutional Advancement (OIA) is responsible for institutional activities, while academic programmes are spearheaded by the Quality Assurance Directorate. He added that at times his Directorate crisscrosses its mandates to oversee quality issues such as infrastructure and administrative systems such as admissions, appointments, and promotions of staff.
Prof. Frimpong Kaakyire Duku, Ag. Principal of CODeL
The Ag. Principal of the College for Distance and e-Learning (CODeL), UEW, Prof. Frimpong Kaakyire Duku, provided insight on the techniques deployed by the university in the appointments and promotions of staff.
"My outfit oversees distance education at the university, delivering synchronous and asynchronous types of teaching—face-to-face interactions with students over the weekends and reaching them by e-learning mode when they are home through our Learning Management System (LMS), radio interactions, and recorded videos and audios," he indicated.
He stated that because his outfit might not have adequate PhD holders to teach across all the centres, the College compensates with tutors, adding that the minimum requirement to tutor is a master’s degree in a relevant field of study.
Prof. Emmanuel Obed Acquah, Dean, School of Creative Arts
The Dean of the School of Creative Arts and immediate past Director of the Quality Assurance Directorate, Prof. Emmanuel Obed Acquah, iterated UEW’s vision of being an internationally reputable institution for teacher education. He expressed delight in seeing the university gradually live up to its vision. He noted that UEW sees the Quality Assurance Directorate as being facilitative and emphasises that the Quality Assurance system should be with individuals.
Prof. Acquah disclosed that his outfit had put in place biweekly seminars where all faculty members are encouraged to present papers for peer review and critique. "We emphasise publication because it shows scholarship in one’s area of teaching. From time to time, we invite external examiners to come and share their experiences with our supervisors to ensure quality supervision."
The delegation from Liberia consisted of the Director General, NCHE, Prof. Edward Lama Wonkeryor; Deputy Director General, Planning, NCHE, Mr. Reginald Z. Mehnpnine; and Deputy Director for Quality Assurance, NCHE, Mr. Moses M. Kesselly. The GTEC staff present accompanying the delegation were Ms. Elaine K. Adjepong and Mr. Emmanuel Abayeteye.