Members of the Governing Council, Management, and Deans of Faculty of the Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED) have undergone a two-day orientation at Koforidua in the Eastern Region to re-equip for enhanced performance of their respective roles in the University.

The March 3-5, 2022 orientation also availed the opportunity for participants to be appraised of work done thus far on a five-year Corporate Strategic Plan under development for AAMUSTED.

In his opening remarks on March 4, 2022, the Chairman of the Governing Council, Mr. Paul Kwasi Agyemang, commended the participants for making time out of their busy routines to be part of the orientation. He assured them that the programme would be worthwhile as organisers had meticulously selected topics to equip them further for improved work in the University.

He emphasised the need for re-equipping via occasional meetings like the orientation to refresh their knowledge and gain new insights to help them in the work they do for the University, and that he said was regardless of their expertise and high achievements from various sectors.

In addition to encouraging the participants to pay undivided attention, take down notes, and ingest the nuggets of knowledge to be exposed at the orientation, Mr. Agyemang asked them to take advantage of the orientation to mingle and strengthen their networks with one another for the good of AAMUSTED.

The Resource Person for the Orientation, former Executive Secretary of the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE), now upgraded to the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), Dr. Paul Effah, enlightened participants on the topics: The Council in the Context of Tertiary Education, Business of the Council, Emotional Intelligence, and The Council in the Context of Crises. He also used a thought-provoking case study that generated wide discussions on the roles of the Management and the Deans of Faculty.

He asked the participants to aim their efforts at getting AAMUSTED to bring improvements to the country. He reminded them to be guided in all their doings by the pillars of education including learning to be, learning to do, learning to learn, and learning to live together.

Dr. Effah asked members of the Governing Council to play their law-making, administrative, and oversight roles diligently but asked them to avoid the temptation to interfere in the day-to-day administration of the University and make disparaging comments about the University. Unless mandated as the spokesperson of the Council, he said members should avoid talking to the media to prevent unnecessary controversies that could embroil the University as a result.

To the Management and the Deans of Faculty, he encouraged to work at creating an environment that is good enough to ensure equity and involvement of all staff since their failure could impact adversely on the progress of the University. “You need to be emotionally intelligent to succeed as leaders,” he told them and explained that the need for emotional intelligence would require them to develop social skills, empathy, be motivational, self-regulating, and self-aware.

As much as possible, he said universities should avoid rushing to the government at the slight provocation since that could eventually sacrifice their academic freedoms and autonomy.