Greetings, Wofa! I hope you and the whole abusua are coping with life in the village. Those of us in the city are also doing well, despite the noisy lamentations of General Ntontom and his folks that life under President Nana Dee is hard.
Yes, you heard right! I call it ‘noisy lamentations’ because they and their complaints are not genuine. If they were, they wouldn’t be charging a whopping 420,000 cowries just for one to have the opportunity to hold the flag embossed with the eagle-headed umbrella. I have a long konkonsa on that episode; but let’s leave it for another day.
Abusuapanin, I’ve received numerous congratulatory messages after bagging a masters degree (M. A EDUCATION) from the university of Ghana. Despite your chronic waist pains, you graced the occasion with your presence. I’m grateful! And to those who did not receive invitation to the event, do accept my apologies for the oversight!
As you may already be aware, your nephew was in a dilemma whether to go for a law degree (LLB) or for a masters programme. He opted for the latter; and the rest, they say, is history.
The admission process was a rigorous one. Applicants were surprised to realise that they had to pass an entrance exam to gain admission. Your nephew was apprehensive at first. But by the time he left the exam hall, he knew that only the witches in his family, if there were any, could change the course of the tide of his destiny.
The journey started in April 2017. It wasn’t a bed of roses, but we managed to sail through by dint of hard work and the grace of the Bearded Old Man above. For sure, it wouldn’t have been possible without the guidance of the dynamic and hardworking faculty members of the Department of Teacher Education.
Educational Foundation. He is not the darling lecturer of many students because of his insistence on punctuality. He is not oblivious of that fact, but he isn’t bothered about it at all. He was also my supervisor for Special Topic One and Two. Aside the academic training, I will forever be grateful to him for imbibing time consciousness in me. Best of luck as the acting Executive Secretary at National Accreditation Board (NAB), Doc!
Dr Ernest Ampadu, acting head of department, is the type I will describe as a perfect gentleman. He is affable and very studious. He taught me two courses, Practice of Teacher Education and Qualitative Research Methods. He may not remember; but I will forever remember his words of motivation to me, when I felt bad for scoring B+ in Practice of Teacher Education. Doc, thanks for the intellectually stimulating class!
Dr Paul Butakor is the kind that minces no words. He calls a spade by its real name, not caring whose ox is gored. He taught me Quantitative Research Methods and was my supervisor for Practice Based Internship. I will always remember him for the advice he gave the whole cohort about one using the YouTube to educate oneself. I heeded his counsel and I’m the better for it. Doc, naagode! (He speaks fluent Hausa, so he would understand.)
Dr Yaa Cole is a lady in the true sense of the word. Listening to her speak the Queen’s language makes one feel like a novice. She taught me two courses, Methods of Teaching and Records of Instructional Practice. What the cohort has learnt from this lady could not be learnt from reading a thousand books. It’s unfortunate she had relocated to the United States and was not present at the graduation. Doc, thanks for rekindling the love for teaching in us!
One cannot forget Dr Samuel Amponsah for the ease with which he marries theories to practice when it comes to management in education. He taught me two courses, Educational Management and Supervision and Educational Evaluation and School Improvement. Dr ‘Fayol’, we salute you for making us better educational managers!
Dr Abraham Okrah taught me two courses, Practice of Teaching and Principles of Curriculum Development. He was also my supervisor for Practice Based Internship. One cannot thank him enough for the pieces of advice. His smile is so infectious that my students never stopped asking about him, after meeting him only once. Doc, I’m grateful for the insightful comments on my teaching practice!
Dr Rita Yeboah is the youngest of them all. She taught me Game Based Learning. She introduced the class to new perspectives of teaching using games and their elements. Her absence at the graduation broke my heart because I wanted us to take a picture for posterity. All the same, thank you for the wonderful intellectual intercourse, Doc!
Last, but not the least, is Mr Elliot Kumassah. The soon-to-be doctorate holder taught me Inclusive Education and also guided me with my Special Topic Two. His was also an insightful class. Doc, the class says I should ask whether you are an ‘itinerant’ teacher or a ‘peripatetic’ one. We are grateful, Doc!
To the acting Dean of the School of Education and Leadership, the administrator, faculty members and all the support staff, I say thank you, on behalf of the M. A EDUCATION 2017 cohort, for making a tortuous journey very pleasant. Many shall return for the MPHIL and possibly PhD.
Hope to see you soon, Deo volente!
From Agya Kwaku Ogboro