ANNOUNCEMENTS
Welcome to the Institute of Continuing and Distance Education, University of Ghana, Legon, AccraIn a competitive market-driven, technological, global environment of the 21st Century, the University of Ghana has positioned itself in educating the youth, training new entrants into the work force, and continuously educating and re-training those already in the work force for the acquisition of new knowledge and appropriate skills. The Institute of Continuing and Distance Education (ICDE) is one of the key institutions through which Ghana’s premier university carries its presence, standards and curricula into Ghanaian cities, towns, villages, and communities.To advance its central mission to become a centre of excellence for the efficient delivery of university-based continuing and distance education to meet the challenges of national development and global competition, the Institute offers courses leading to Diploma, Bachelors, M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D. in Adult Education; Youth in Development Work; and short courses for community leaders. Using interdisciplinary, comparative, gender-sensitive, community-based, interactive learning perspectives, and technology, the Institute’s highly motivated and committed faculty and staff apply their specializations in all fields of study to illuminate the relevance of higher education for empowering individuals, communities, and nations for development and poverty reduction. The Institute which began in 1948 as Department of Extra-Mural Studies evolved into the Institute of Public Education in the early sixties, and eventually into the Institute of Adult Education. The current name, Institute of Continuing and Distance Education is very appropriate and timely because it follows global trends in higher education that now focus on lifelong and distance learning as the hallmark of our ever-changing and interdependent world. The move toward the new name emphasizes the fact that education is a lifelong endeavor that continues throughout the life-span of people seeking credentials, advancing their careers, changing their careers, and/or enhancing their earning potential. The Institute of Continuing and Distance Education at the University of Ghana enjoys the following strategic advantages: * Our research activities cover field studies, evaluation studies, action research and experimental research in all 10 regions of the country. * Our activities in extension services to the community incorporate a variety of non-formal educational programs in health care, HIV/AIDS Counseling and Care-giving, family life education, agriculture, environmental management, literacy, civic and community engagement, public lectures, conferences and residential schools including the New Year and Easter Schools. * With our presence in 13 Learning Centres, we extend the resources of the University of Ghana to a wide range of Ghanaians in recognition of their ability to learn regardless of age, sex, religion, ethnicity, place and region of residence. * The Institute runs the University of Ghana’s Distance Education programme which now makes it possible for the University to offer Degree by distance to many people who otherwise would not have been able to access higher education. * Our physical resources include a printing press, library, and infrastructure in all 10 regions. * The Institute has a well qualified and innovative staff from interdisciplinary background with the ability to collaborate with several departments and organizations, and a track record of delivering continuing and adult education in alternative modes and methods. Education in Ghana faces significant challenges, the most universal and complex of those are related to relevancy and ensuring equitable access for the growing number of individuals seeking education at the tertiary level with increasing pressure on limited state resources. As technology continues to transform how we educate our students, more of them will use Open and Distance Education as the preferred mode of learning. It is in recognition of this that the Institute recently received major grants and loans from the Government of the Peoples Republic of China in the amount of $8.2 million to equip it with the necessary hardware, software and other accessories for the implementation of ICT-based Distance Education. The project, to be managed by Unisplendour Software System Co., Ltd, Tsinghua University, China is a component of the University of Ghana’s 5-year IT Strategic Plan, which is also in line with the National ICT Policy on Education developed by the Ministry of Communications and the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports. For about 60 years, the Institute of Continuing and Distance Education has become the vehicle that has transported the University of Ghana’s rich traditions of teaching, learning, and research into Ghanaian homes. With expanded vision, the Institute is now in a position to transform itself into a more visible, resource-enhanced, dynamic Institute that is responsive in providing lifelong learning opportunities and distance education to all Ghanaians to meet their diverse learning needs for academic, personal, and professional growth. Our mandate re-affirms the University of Ghana’s resolve to provide wider educational access to Ghanaians while maintaining jobs and fulfilling family and other obligations. As a way forward, we seek to expand the development of Ghana’s human resource capabilities to meet the contemporary challenges of national development and global competition through the use of ICT, community outreach, inter-departmental and inter-university partnerships. We now welcome you to explore our website at www.ug.edu.gh/icde and discover for yourself what the University of Ghana’s Institute of Continuing and Distance Education has to offer in certificate, diploma, first degree, masters, and doctoral studies. This website also contains a wealth of information on our non-formal educational programs in health care, family life education, literacy, civic and community engagement, public lectures, conferences and residential schools. We hope you will consider the Institute as you plan for your future educational needs. Akwaaba, Welcome!!! Professor Yaw Oheneba-Sakyi, Director (BA [Hons], University of Ghana), MA (State University of New York), PhD (Brigham Young University) |
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