Miotso (GAR), Oct. 31, GNA - Vice-President John Mahama on Saturday said government will convey an all-party conference to dilate on how to overcome the dysfunctions in the education sector and develop strategies to meet national aspirations.

He said the mode of instruction in schools should be capable of instilling in the students a 'twenty-third century mentality' and empower them to "pursue the undiscovered".

This, he said, will also provide them with solid skills that will give them the edge in an increasingly competitive world. Addressing the eighth congregation of the Central University College (CUC) at Miotso near Tema on Saturday, Vice-President said if Ghana was to effectively grapple with its numerous development strategies, then it must develop citizenry who have the "passion to break new grounds" and "challenge conventional wisdom".

He said the current mode of instruction in the schools must give way to one which will imbue in the students a keener intellectual acumen essential for tackling problems for the expected economic growth. He said for this to come about, "unpredictability" and "dysfunction" in the school system must be addressed by evolving a new but progressive system that will meet the felt needs of the people.

The Vice-President said it was in line with this that the inter-party conference is to be conveyed to evolve a consensus roadmap on the matter. Such a road map, he explained, will also tackle the problem of access and equity in the educational sector, which, was one of the greatest challenges facing the nation.

Speaking on the impact of CUC to nation-building, Vice-President Mahama said its ground breaking efforts in equipping students with skills in language proficiency to enable them compete on the international market must be commended He also expressed satisfaction with the introduction of applied science programmes in the health and urban planning sectors to address the shortfall of critical manpower in those areas, but cautioned that mediocrity must be avoided.

Vice-President Mahama praised Dr. Mensah Otabil, founder of the University, for his contribution in maintaining morality in the society and encouraged him to continue to "give hope to our generation". The Executive Chairman of Databank, Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta, who was the guest of honour, noted that Ghana's educational system must enable its products to develop "critical thinking" for them to become the "spirit of the future".

He said through such efforts, the next generations of students can emerge as transformational leaders to engineer the "change" the people were yearning for. Professor Victor Gadzekpo, President of the CUC, said the college was focusing on applied sciences such as nursing, pharmacy and physician assistantship in view of their benefits to the nation. He said the CUC's emphasis on female empowerment through education was yielding fruits, citing the 2009 graduating class which has a 60 per cent female enrolment, compared to the 40 per cent for males. Dr Joyce Aryee, Chairperson of the Board of Regents of the College, charged the graduands to develop a new work ethic that will put the nation ahead of parochial interests. "You must decide to transform your environment into the paradise you want to live in", she added. Out of the 1, 485 students who graduated, 4 took Master of Philosophy degrees(MPhil), 191 Master of Business Administration(MBA), and the remainder 1, 290 obtained undergraduate degrees in theology, economics and business administration. 31 Oct. 09