The Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Professor Ernest Kofi Davis, has called for a transformation of Ghana’s education system to ensure that learners acquire not only academic knowledge but also the skills, attitudes and values needed to navigate a rapidly changing world.
He said the focus of education must extend beyond academic achievement to producing responsible, ethical and socially conscious citizens capable of applying their knowledge and skills to improve their lives and contribute to national development.
Prof. Davis made the call at the 52nd Annual Conference of the Conference of Managers of Education Units (COMEU) in Takoradi, held under the theme: “Faith-based Education in the 21st Century: Challenges, Opportunities and the Way Forward.”
The conference brought together education managers and other stakeholders to explore ways of strengthening collaboration and improving learning outcomes, particularly in mission schools across the country.
AI creates opportunities and challenges
Prof. Davis said the growing influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI), social media and globalisation had fundamentally changed the educational environment and required faith-based schools to reconsider how they prepared learners for the future.
While AI offered opportunities to improve teaching, learning and school administration, he noted that it also exposed young people to misinformation, inappropriate content and other harmful influences.
He expressed concern that the rapid exposure to foreign cultures through technology and social media was contributing to increasing indiscipline among students as well as teaching and non-teaching staff.
“These are real threats that we must work around to ensure technology becomes a blessing and not a curse,” he said.
He therefore advocated a balance between Artificial Intelligence and Human Intelligence, stressing that technological competence must be accompanied by strong ethical values.
Faith-based schools urged to strengthen character formation
The GES Director-General acknowledged the longstanding contribution of faith-based institutions to Ghana’s education sector, including the establishment of schools, teacher training and the promotion of values such as honesty, respect, empathy, service and accountability.
He said character formation, however, could no longer be the sole responsibility of schools, as children were constantly influenced by their homes, communities, traditional media and social media.
Prof. Davis consequently called for stronger collaboration between government and faith-based education providers to improve teacher development, embrace innovation, protect children and promote quality education anchored in character.
Education must produce responsible citizens
Prof. Ebenezer Boakye, Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Takoradi Technical University, also stressed the importance of attitudes in the education process.
He said knowledge and technical competence without the right values could undermine the very society education was intended to serve.
He urged education managers to promote discipline, integrity, diligence, respect, compassion and service while adapting those values to the realities of the 21st century.
The Western Regional Minister, Mr Joseph Nelson, described faith-based education as an important partner in Ghana’s development and called for stronger cooperation among government, faith-based organisations, teachers, parents and communities.
He said the ultimate goal should be to produce young people who were academically competent, morally grounded, technologically capable and socially responsible.
Mr Nelson added that Ghana’s future would largely depend on the quality of education provided to the present generation.
