The Dean of the Centre for International Education and Collaboration at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), Professor Goski Alabi, has urged government to be more realistic about issues of sustainability as well as the potential failure of the Free SHS policy.
According to her, the Free SHS policy being implemented by government is not a short-term measure, therefore it requires the requisite analysis to evoke understanding about the potential failures and issues of sustainability that may arise with the aim of developing protective measures in place to arrest the situation.
“We’re all aware the start of the programme wasn’t easy as there were lots of speculations about the fact that where to get the money from was not clear.
“We don’t need to behave as if all is well when in actual fact we’re not too sure about where the money is going to come for sustainability so it is important in as much as we embrace it as a good policy that has to be supported.”
She also warned government to be careful not to compromise on quality of secondary education in Ghana while implementing the Free SHS policy.
The eminent academician-cum -entrepreneur made these observations in an interview with journalists on the sideline of a book launch held at the Association of African Universities (AAU) at East Legon in Accra last week.
The 400-page book, titled ‘Managing for Excellence in the Twenty-First Century – The Total Quality Approach’ was authored by Professor Goski Alabi herself.
The book, a masterpiece of total quality management (TQM) delves deeply into how sustainable development in Africa and in Ghana can be ensured, including how effectiveness and efficiency can be ensured for competitiveness.
It provides in-depth answers to questions such as why African development is slow? What total quality management is all about? Who is responsible for implementing TQM and how can TQM facilitate Africans transformation into a first world city.
“We in Africa need to understand that anything that competes with us is an enemy and the competitor has to be overcome.
“It is time for us rise and collectively work against overcoming what competes with the quality of the life of people in Ghana,” the Professor in TQM explained.
According to her, she was motivated to see excellence in every aspect of life particularly the fact that “we’re so blessed with lots of human and natural resources and yet we aren’t as developed as other developed countries are”.
She strongly believes Ghanaians can do it if Singapore and Malaysia who started around the same time as Ghana started has done it and “we believe it’s time for the youth of Africa to completely change our mindset in the trajectories that we’ve been moving to ensure we do things right at the right time and in the right places to ensure that the transformation that the agenda 2016 talks about to the African people is achieved”.
By Joseph Kobla Wemakor|Accra, Ghana