KNUST’s Faculty of Educational Studies to Host a 3-Way International Dialogue with University of East Anglia(UK) & Ceara State university (Brazil)

Doctoral education has become of paramount importance in a world where knowledge is critical if countries are to participate competitively in the Knowledge Economy.

This seems to have compelled countries especially those located in the Global South to motivate their higher education institutions to consider offering more doctoral programmes leading to a massive surge in demand for doctoral education.

Doctoral students  around the world seem to have in common  the experience of  a professional socialisation into  research and academia,  a critical relationship  with a supervisory  team, and difficulties in handling the challenges  of long and often costly studies, and the weight  of wider expectations regarding their  future. Beyond these similarities , their experiences  needs and expectations vary  considerably  depending  on the status of the  doctorate in their  country , their economic circumstances,  and the institutional environment of their studies.

As part of a partnership  initiated  in 2023,  the  Faculties /Schools of Education at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST, Ghana), the  University of East Anglia (UEA, UK), and Universidade Estadual do Ceará (UECE, Brazil), are holding  a forum on Friday, 18th January, 2024, to which  doctoral  students from the three  institutions will be given the opportunity to share their experiences and expectations,  and  also  discuss opportunities  for further  exchange and mobility between the three universities.

The forum which is a hybrid event will be hosted by KNUST’s Faculty of Educational Studies headed by Prof. Winston Kwame Abroampa and is convened by Dr. Patrick Swanzy, the Coordinator of the Partnership with Prof. Yann Lebeau of UEA as the Guest Speaker, and Prof. Spyros Themelis (UEA) and Prof. Sandra Maria Gadelha De Carvalho (UECE) as panel members.

It is expected that, the knowledge gained from this international dialogue will help immerse the participants into internationally accepted scholarly conventions, heighten their awareness on the similarities and differences of professional socialisation, deepen the network amongst students and staff of the three universities and strengthen the collaboration that exists among them.

Source: Frank Owusu Ansah ( Sir Franko Naro)