A two-week International PhD Summer School has been opened at the Institute for Development Studies (IDS).
The Summer School which is a collaboration between IDS and the International Centre for Development and Decent Work (ICDD) at the University of Kassel, Germany has the theme 鈥淐onstructing Research Frameworks on the Sustainable Development Goals in Africa鈥檚 Policy Environment鈥�.
IDS and ICDD sought funds together to offer opportunities to enable 33 others participate in this year鈥檚 Summer School. In all 43 participants from ten countries are taking part in the programme. The School would consider goals 2, 5, 8 and 15 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Welcoming participants, the Acting Director of IDS, Dr. Emmanuel Y. Tinkorang, said the programme since its inception has created exchange programmes and some PHD collaborations. Dr. Tinkorang was hopeful that, any framework that would come out as result of the School, could be implemented and transcend into policy gaps to reflect in the lives of the people.
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The Dean of the Faculty of the Social Sciences, Prof. Francis Eric Amuquandoh, indicated that in dealing with Agenda 2030, researchers had huge roles to play in order to meet the targets.鈥淭o achieve the 17 SDGs, there is the need to prepare researchers in order to reach the targets. We need to equip future researchers with knowledge and skills鈥�, he said.
Prof. Amuquandoh, said the School provided an opportunity for students to take advantage of and learn new things in development.鈥淭his is an opportunity for students to learn how to combine knowledge and practice鈥�.
Opening the Summer School on behalf of the Provost of the College of Humanities and Legal Studies, Prof. Dora Edu-Buandoh, Prof. Peter Grant said he was elated that the programme was being hosted by the IDS since the SDGs were all about the development of the society. She noted that: 鈥淲ith the pool of scholars assembled for the Summer School, I can say that the theme aptly fits the programme鈥�. Prof. Grant urged the participants to come up with policies that would be beneficial to the society.
鈥淲hatever framework you come up with, should not be for the award of degrees alone, rather, they should be fit for policy development and implementation鈥�, he said. She indicated that, he was particularly happy for the various SDG themes to be examined during the two-week period of the School adding: 鈥渢hey should impact positively on the populace鈥�. He commended organisers for the South-South cooperation that influenced their choice of participants and urged the 10 PHD students from 黑料社to take active part in the School saying 鈥淵ou have a lot to learn from the array of scholars assembled at the school鈥�.
The Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, Prof. Ernest Laryea Okorley, chaired the function and reiterated the need for the School to come up with realistic framework to serve humanity. 鈥淢any at times, we come up with frameworks but do not come up with what to do and leave it to the politicians. The time has come for us to have a clear cut and practical policies that no one can run away from鈥�, he said. 鈥淚 believe that, with the calibre of people and cultures here, we can share ideas and have concrete frameworks that are implementable鈥�, he concluded.