The Director-General of the Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (IEPA), a UNESCO Category II Centre of Excellence for West Africa at the University of Cape Coast, Dr. Michael Boakye-Yiadom has touted Ghana's transformative education, stressing that the major investments being made in the sector was shaping the future of the country’s education.
According to him, Ghana puts premium on transformative education as a huge means to eliminating poverty and also to accelerate the socioeconomic development of the country.
Speaking at the 8th International Conference on Global Citizenship Education (GCED) hosted by the UNESCO Asia Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding (APCEIU) in Seoul, South Korea, Dr. Boakye-Yiadom reminded participants of the urgent need to unpack GCED within the context of national cultural values, norms, and aspirations. He added that the ultimate goal of GCED, among others, is to develop globally-minded and locally engaged citizens who appreciate diversity, inclusivity, and transformative learning.
Addressing the theme Unpacking GCED: Transformative Learning for Critical Empowerment, Dr. Boakye-Yiadom indicated that through the Complementary Basic Education programme, children out- of- school were acquiring literacy and numeracy skills to make them ready to enroll in formal school system to make them better citizens in future.
He maintained that children who do not go to school were being supported with some life skills and vocational training.
Panel members at the Conference
“My point is that even though they might be struggling with basic literacy and numeracy. Through Global Citizenship Education and other forms of support, they end up becoming better citizens,” he added.
The Director-General continued: “At the end of the day, even if they can’t read and write and they become better citizens, they promote peace, support one another in their communities, it is solving part of the problem. We should not wait till they get the literacy and numeracy that they don’t have before we introduce them to Global Citizenship Education. As we try to resolve the numeracy problems, we must at the same time integrate GCED and the goal is to get them to become better citizens in their various communities”.
Dr. Boakye-Yiadom called for deliberate extension of the GCED to the family and community levels to ensure peaceful coexistence and shared vision.
About GCED
Global Citizenship Education (GCED) aims to be transformative, building the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes that learners need to be able to contribute to a more inclusive, just and peaceful world.