Accra, Dec. 19, GNA - The Institute of Adult Education (IAE) on Friday announced that the 2009 Annual New Year School would be held from January 2 to 9, to provide another platform for dialogue on issues affecting the country.

There has been a change in the School's normal schedule of beginning in the last week in December and ending in the first week of January, due to the presidential run-off election on December 28. Professor Yaw Oheneba-Sakyi, Director of IAE, University of Ghana, Legon, who announced this to journalists in Accra, said the School, which would be the 60th in the series would discuss the theme: "Lifelong Learning and Accelerated Development".

He said the choice of the theme was informed by the fact that national development goals as well as other global targets such as the Education For all and Millennium Development Goals required the creation of a learning society.

"With global trends shifti ng towards a knowledge-based economy with science and technology in the forefront, we can ill-afford as a country to remain where we are and expect to be competitive globally," he said. Prof. Oheneba-Sakyi attributed the growing gap between developed and developing economies to the slow pace of human capital, hence the need for a deliberate policy of making lifelong learning a priority for accelerated development.

The School, he stated, would therefore focus on how to widen access and equity in provision of education, how to achieve peace and democratic governance through public education and improve mortality rates through education for quality healthy living, among others. The Director said the IAE would also use the opportunity to launch the 60th Anniversary celebration of its existence as the first Department of the University and called on all interested persons to join the dialogue.

Touching on the successes of the School so far, Prof. Oheneba-Sakyi mentioned the adoption of the 1992 Constitution, the extension of the Senior High School education from three to four years, the district assembly concept as some of the policies that the School championed to see their implementation.

He expressed the hope that deliberations of the School would continue to remain key for the initiation of polices and other government decisions.

On projections for next year, Prof. Oheneba-Sakyi hinted that the IAE would be renamed as the Institute of Continuing and Distance Education in order to have the mandate to cover wider areas. He said the IAE also hoped to have discussions with polytechnics to adopt an Open University concept that would make it easier for polytechnic graduates to continue their education in the universities. The keynote address for the event would be delivered by Professor Catherine Odora Hoppers, Chair of the South African Research in Development Education, University of South Africa, Pretoria, and would attract other personalities including Mr Kofi Annan, Chancellor of the University, among others.

Participants would be expected to pay 280 Ghana cedis for single occupancy, 230 cedis for double and 150 cedis for non-residents.