Rev. Fr. Dr. Moses Asaah Awinongya SVD, Founder of the Regentropfen Education Foundation and Regentropfen University College (RUC, formerly ReCAS), has raised concerns about what he describes as Ghana’s growing obsession with academic titles and certificates at the expense of genuine knowledge acquisition.
Speaking on A1 Radio on the theme “The Contribution of Postgraduate Education to Growth in the Upper East Region,” Dr. Awinongya noted that many Ghanaians are more interested in being called “Professor” or “Doctor” than ensuring that such titles reflect true expertise and practical knowledge.
“There is a danger in this country, and the danger is that people are busy wanting to acquire certificates rather than acquiring knowledge,” he said. “We need to begin to reverse things and focus on knowledge acquisition rather than the accumulation of certificates.”
Highlighting challenges within the academic system, he observed that the structure of project work in higher education often compromises learning. With overwhelming student numbers, some institutions assign up to 20 students to a single project, with only one person doing the actual work while others benefit without acquiring research skills.
“In many cases, it is only at the postgraduate level that students even begin to engage with true academic work and scientific research,” he explained.
He stressed the urgent need to reform Ghana’s education system to prioritize critical thinking, research, and practical application over the prestige of academic titles.
“We must re-groom our people,” he emphasized, warning that the certificate-driven mindset poses a serious threat to Ghana’s educational and developmental progress.
Dr. Awinongya, who has dedicated years to transforming education in the Upper East Region, reiterated his call for a paradigm shift that aligns higher education with the realities of national development.
A1Radioonline.com|101.1Mhz|Moses Apiah|Bolgatanga
