University of Ghana launches Distance Education

Story: Albert K. Salia
THE University of Ghana, Legon, has introduced its Distance Learning Bachelor’s Degree programme, after 12 years on the drawing board.
The programme, which is being implemented by the Centre for Distance Education, Institute of Adult Education (IAE) of the university is expected to attract nearly 1,500 students when academic work begins in November, this year.
Five courses, namely, Economics, Geography and Resource Development, Linguistics, Psychology and Sociology, would be offered when the programme takes off.
The courses will be offered at all the Workers’ Colleges of the university throughout the country and at the IAE in Accra.
More courses will be added in subsequent years.
The Head of the Centre for Distance Education, IAE, Dr Samuel K. Badu-Nyarko, told the Daily Graphic in an interview that the programme was expected to offer university education and qualification to the increasing number of potential students who were denied admission to the university due to lack of residential and lecture space.
He said it would also offer university education and qualification to the equally high number of workers who could not attend mainstream university programmes because they were denied study leave for a long period.
Moreover, he said, the City Campus, which was initially designed for workers had been taken over by products of senior secondary schools (SSSs).
Dr Badu-Nyarko said the alternative was to introduce the Distance Education programme to provide university education to many of those who needed it but had been denied due to circumstances beyond their control.
He said all the workers’ colleges would be equipped with computers and journals to facilitate teaching and learning.
He said the modules for the various courses had been peer-reviewed by other universities and were found to be of the highest university standards.
Dr Badu-Nyarko said the students would also benefit from seminars and discussions as well as assignments to keep them busy so as to make maximum use of their period of study.
“We also have a communication system where the students can interact with their lecturers at anytime for verification of any daunting challenges in their studies,” he added.
According to him, tutors had been engaged to provide tutorials for the students while “all the students throughout the country will converge on the University of Ghana, Legon to interact with their lecturers and colleagues at least two weeks before they write their examinations during the holidays”.
Dr Badu-Nyarko said counsellors had also been engaged to provide counselling services to the students during their course of study and to guide them on employment opportunities.