April 4 & 5, 2024, The Great Hall, University of Ghana – The School of Education and Leadership, in partnership with the Education Collaborative, held its inaugural Biennial Conference on improving education policy and practice.
Themed “Advancing Innovation for Improved Educational Policy and Practice: Prospects and Challenges,” the conference provided a platform for educators, industry professionals, and stakeholders to share experiences and research findings on key educational issues. Participants explored innovative strategies, the prospects and challenges of 21st-century education, and how technology can improve educational outcomes. The conference also focused on how educational institutions can recover from the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I commend the planning committee and leadership for bringing us together to discuss how we can learn from one another to improve what we teach and how we teach it,” shared Mercy Kusiwaa Frimpong, Director of Communications at the Education Collaborative, in the welcome address. “The Education Collaborative recognizes the enormous task that learning institutions have in shaping society. We started in 2017 with Ashesi University to create platforms like this, providing safe spaces to learn, unlearn, relearn, and share notes on what we are doing right as education institutions. We replace competition with collaboration because ultimately, when we are all better, the students we serve will become better, and the world – Africa – will become better!”
Welcoming approximately 120 participants from across multiple industries and institutions, they two- day event featured presentations, panel discussions, oral presentations, and other interactive sessions, providing a valuable opportunity for attendees to engage and learn from each other
“Looking at the history of education, policy formulation, and implementation in this country over the years, I am more than convinced that academia has a major role to play in ensuring that the future of our youth is not jeopardized by ill-informed and poorly implemented reforms and policies,” shared Professor Ivan Addae Mensah, the guest of honor, as he spoke on the role of research, innovation, and collaboration. “Research and evidence-based policy development and implementation are the most effective ways that academia can ensure that government policy formulation and implementation are well-informed by empirical evidence and data analysis.”
Looking ahead, the conference organizers expressed their commitment to expanding the event into an annual or biennial gathering. Additionally, there are plans to establish the Lagos Center for Educational Policy at the College of Education, provide scholarships for PhD students to support research activities, and conduct empirical research on critical educational issues.
