Ghanaian Universities urged to increase understanding of foreign cultures

Professor Peter Mayer, an international economics professor at the University of Applied Sciences, Osnabruck, Germany has called on Universities in the country to increase understanding of foreign countries and cultures to improve enrolment of foreign students. 'Since not all students want to or cannot be mobile, the university has to provide opportunities for international and intercultural learning at home', Prof. Mayer stated when he facilitated the '2023/2024 National Multiplication Training (NMT) Project' for Technical Universities and other higher educational institutions at Fiapre, near Sunyani. Last year, four Senior Faculty members from four Universities won a grant from the German Academic Exchanges Service (DAAD) to host the 2023/2024 NMT Project in the country. They are Dr. Mrs. Vida Korang of the Catholic University of Ghana (CUG), Dr Sewoenam Chachu, of the University of Ghana, Prof. Anthony Amoah of the University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD) and Prof. Joseph Adjei of th e Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA). The NMT under the 'Dialogue on Innovative Higher Education Strategies' (DIES) of DAAD sought to promote the development of higher education management in developing countries. As the world becomes a global village, Prof Mayer indicated the need for universities and other higher educational institutions in Ghana to also deepen understanding of foreign countries and culture, saying it was those universities that would be able to meet societal expectations, actively shape the globalisation process and guarantee their own competitiveness. The theme for the three-day training, which ended on Friday, was 'Effective Internationalization Strategies in Technical Universities' and attended by professors and faculty staff of the various TUs and other higher education institutions in the country. It exposed the participants to emerging global trends and further provided hands-on training and discussions with peers and experts. Prof Mayer said univers ities in the country ought to do more as well to enhance the quality of teaching, learning and research, learn about global academic trends and processes, establish, and expand global networks and enhance their reputation at the global level. 'The majority of our students will not spend a full semester abroad, so finding ways to expose them to global and intercultural issues is extremely important', he stated, saying, universities could only fulfil their roles if they saw themselves as an integral part of the international world of ideas. Universities constantly need to reflect on their specific form of international orientation and need to keep this diversity of motives in mind when working with others, trying to get funds and invest in projects. Dr Mrs. Vida Korang, a Senior Lecturer at the CUG and the Project Team Lead, later told the Ghana News Agency the overall objective of the training was to promote the development of the TUs and other higher education institutions. Source: Ghana News Agency