African countries including Ghana have been called on to change the current educational system to be relevant in the 21st century, Professor PLO Lumumba, Kenyan lawyer and activist has said.
He said any attempt to maintain the status quo would result in the continent remaining as a tool for other countries to carry on with their exploitation
Professor PLO Lumumba, who made the call on Friday said, subduing the world, called for Africans to use their minds.
He was speaking at the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) public lecture series held on the theme: “Empowering minds, shaping futures for 21st century education.”
Prof. Lumumba further charged the younger generation to rise up and work towards the change of the continent with innovation and inventions.
He indicated that, the system of the African continent was disrupted and that had resulted in the kind of educational system in t6he continent.
He explained that, even though African countries produce doctors, the influential airlifted to Dubai or Germany, saying, “They have no faith in our medical system. When we are sick during COVID, all Africa is crying to America that give us Modena, give us Pfizer from the Russians.”
He said: “Until the day we have the courage to find the missing link then we are not preparing for the 21st century. “
“We are in the business consuming those we do not produce and producing those we do not consume. We must re-examine our educational system,” he said.
Prof. Lumumba further stated: “The time is now for us to change our minds and we can only change our minds if we decolonise our minds”.
Africans, he explained, may have decolonised their countries but had not totally liberated themselves from the mental chains of the colonisers, and said, Africans owe Dr Kwame Nkrumah an apology.
The UNESCO representative in Ghana, Edmond Moukala, who was the chairman for the event, underscored the incredible power of education to transform lives, communities and nations and said education must equip with the critical skills and attitude to navigate the current dynamic world.
He hoped the lecture series would catalyse action, collaboration and innovation in education, saying, “Let us work together to ensure that the education we offer today is truly shaping the future we want in the 21st century and beyond”.
The Deputy Minister of Education, Dr Clement Apaak, in a statement, argued that the 21st century presents both immense opportunities and complex challenges.
He explained that, the rapid technological advancement, globalisation and the evolving job market, demands an educational system that was dynamic, inclusive and future-oriented.
“To truly empower minds and shape the future, we must embrace innovation, nurture critical thinking and foster creativity in our classrooms,” he said.
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), Stephen Jobson Mitchual, in his address, noted that the nation’s sustainable development agenda relied on the ability of education to adapt to modern needs.
FROM DAVID O. YARBOI-TETTEH, WINNEBA
