The Education Minister, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, has called on Ghanaians to realise that anything is achievable once they set their minds to it.
Speaking at the first ever National Digital and Distance Learning Conference organised by the Centre for National Distance Learning and Open Schooling (CENDLOS) in Accra on Monday, Dr. Adutwum said it was high time Ghanaians dispelled their minds of the “we can’t do it” attitude, merely because of their nationality, and cultivated a spirit of positivity.
He noted Ghana has great talents and these talents can only be harnessed when Ghanaians go beyond job descriptions to be dedicated to a given task.
“We have great talent, and everyone here can make a big difference, but there has to be a dedication that says no, it’s not about my job responsibility, but about what I can contribute to the lives of these young women and men who are so committed to serving, so committed to education, and distance can be a barrier,” he admonished.
He also encouraged institutions like CENDLOS to continue to assist young students in realizing their dreams, emphasizing that distance should not be a barrier.
The Minister, who doubles as the Member of Parliament for the Bosomtwe Constituency, revealed that his greatest achievement during his stay abroad was not the salaries he received, nor the wealth and properties he acquired, but rather the belief that anything is doable.
“I always tell people that what I got from America was not the salaries and all the money that they paid me while I was there, but the idea that anything is possible; we also have to create the African dream and not the African nightmare… if there can be an American dream, there can be a Ghanaian dream,” he urged.
He further disclosed that his representation at the conference implied the support of both the President and Vice President of the Republic.
The Centre for National Distance Learning and Open Schooling (CENDLOS) replaced the then President’s Special Initiative on Distance Learning (PSI-DL), which was established in 2002. CENDLOS and partners have been developing audio-visual lessons as extra and complementary teaching and learning tools for pre-tertiary students since 2003.
