Director of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Research(IIR), Dr. Abdulia Abubakari addressing participants
The Institute for Interdisciplinary Research (IIR) of the University for Developmental Studies (UDS) has launched a course on ethics.
At the National Dialogue on Ethics which coincided with the Launch of the Course, IIR Director, Dr. Abdulia Abubakari, said the introduction of the course is aimed at tackling issues of corruption, indiscipline, indecency in our language, absenteeism, leaking of official information, laziness among others.
According to him, there is a need to run courses in ethics to help address some of these social challenges.
“ We are putting out short courses for people to know about some of the things we take for granted on ethical issues and this programme is very important for us to know that there are things we should not take for granted.”
Investigative Journalist, Manasseh Azure, who was a speaker at the national dialogue and launch said the introduction of ethics as a course may turn out to be the biggest achievement of the UDS and the greatest contribution to the development of Ghana.
“If you ask me why corruption is rising, I will say it is because there is very little or no punishment for the corrupt in Ghana. The problem however is not only at the top or leadership level. It is pervasive.
The root of the problem is the lack of respect for values and ethics. We are a highly religious people. But we generally do not live godly lives. The concepts of right or wrong are now defined in monetary terms, even if the source of that wealth cannot be tracked. For this reason, a university that intends to integrate ethics in its programmes deserves high commendation.”
He indicated that the best way to teach ethics at UDS is to demonstrate it in the management of the university.
“The students should see ethics from how things are done. They should see the UDS as different from other universities.
Teaching ethics will be meaningless if lecturers sleep with students to pass them. Teaching ethics will be meaningless if management sees the resources of the university as the spoils and conquest of greed and use it to immunize themselves and their descendants against poverty. Teaching ethics will be meaningless if promotions and appointments in the university are based on political and ethnic considerations instead of meritocracy.”
Lawyer Samson Lardy Anyenini, a Private Legal Practitioner who was also a speaker urged the government to establish a whistleblowers fund to encourage individuals to assist the government to expose corrupt activities in the country.
FROM Eric Kombat, Tamale