The Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (IEPA) has organised an exhibition to showcase research work by Post-graduate students to the University community and the general public.
Dubbed “Students Creativity Expo 2018”, the exhibition was on the theme “Innovations in Education for Graduates Who Are Called to Lead”.
The research work presented in the form of posters at the 2018 Expo focused on “Safety and Security of UCC Students Outside the University Traditional Halls”; Stakeholders Perspectives on the Implementation of the Free SHS Policy in the Cape Coast Metropolis” and “Students’ Satisfaction of Medical Examination in the University of Cape Coast Hospital”.
Some PhD students also presented posters of their ongoing research work.
Opening the function, the Provost of the College of Education Studies, Prof. Eric M. Wilmot, commended IEPA for instituting the initiative. He said the research topics could inform policies at different levels and advised that “We must lift it from a course assignment to full blown research where the outcomes can be shared because each of them has a potential. They are looking at contemporary issues at the Basic, Secondary and Tertiary Level”.
Prof. Wilmot noted that the dissemination of the research findings would elevate the University’s status a serious research institution. He assured that the College would support IEPA and even extend the initiative to other faculties and departments within the College.
The Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Prof. George K. T. Oduro, in his remarks recommended to IEPA to engage heads, teachers and other administrative staff of Senior High Schools and Colleges of Education in subsequent research dissemination programme so that they would have a fair knowledge about the outcomes of their studies. “This can also be a marketing strategy for getting more people to our programmes,” he added.
Prof. Oduro thanked IEPA for sustaining the initiative and commended the students for taking active part in the Expo. “To the students, I pray that this becomes part of you, so that it doesn’t become a formality. Whatever your individual research agenda is, do not only think about publications but also think about dissemination so that it will inform policy,” he urged.
The Director of IEPA, Dr. Bro Michael Amakyi, said; “At IEPA, we believe that every research work of students should be disseminated to the public. We also want to help the students to know how to publish their research findings”.
“This is the first step, they go and collect data and then present their findings to a larger group of people.” He said the Expo had become an annual programme and “Our lecturers are prepared to support it to work and it is an institutional programme.”
Dr. Amakyi said the three key areas of IEPA’s research included Leadership and Management of Educational Institutions, Educational Planning and Quality Assurance. He said major stakeholders of IEPA were the Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service and leadership of various educational institutions. He said there would be a conference as a follow-up to the research findings on 6th June, 2018.
The Coordinator of the Expo, Dr. Michael Boakye-Yiadom, indicated that the students would write research papers out of their work. He said the research papers would be compiled and published as Expo Proceedings so that stakeholders and the general public could have access to them.
“We know that research findings should influence policy and practice, so that will be a good reference material for policy makers, students, and the general public,” he noted.
He said the Expo which started in 2015 “is growing bigger and taking more research focus; we are hoping to involve GRASAG and other departments so that eventually it becomes a University-wide event.”