President of African Council for Distance Education (ACDE) Prof Goski Alabi, has called on stakeholders in Africa education sector to consider distance and open learning as a viable complement to contact learning in a post-COVID era.
Professor Goski made the call when she addressed the 6th African Council for Distance Education (ACDE) in Accra.
Her rallying call according to some, was apt considering the awful disruption that the COVID-19 has dealt to teaching and learning not only in Africa, but globally.
The two-day virtual conference touched on almost all the teething challenges facing education in Africa and how these challenges can be tackled.
The theme for this year’s conference, dubbed, “Open and Distance Learning Amidst COVID-19: the Continental Strategy for Africa (CESA) and the Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4)
Present at the conference were Dr. Teresa Mwona, the Executive Director of ACDE; Prof Jonathan Mba, Director of Research at the Association of African Universities (AAU); Prof Peter Okebukula, Chairman of the Council, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) and Prof Mohammed Salifu, Director General – Ghana Education Commission.
Also present was the Minister of Education of Ghana, Dr. Yaw Adutwum who presented the complements of the Government of Ghana to the Council and assured the conference that Ghana is in the process of hybridizing education to reflect the new pedagogical shifts occurring across the education landscape.
In his address, the guest of honour, Former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria H.E Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Aremu Obasanjo, hailed the consistency of ACDE in promoting open and distance learning in Africa. H.E Obasanjo paid glowing compliments to all the stakeholders who are adding their shoulder to the wheel in working towards the design of other alternative educational frameworks.
The Council conferred a distinguished service award on H.E Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Aremu Obasanjo for his works in promoting open education and distance learning in Africa.
Below is a communique from ACDE
