Draft PREFACE for my forthcoming book:
GHANA - EDUCATION AND STUDENT LEADERSHIP
An autobiographical reflection by Dr Samuel Laryea
Education and leadership are two of the biggest issues in Ghana and the world today. As a result of their crucial nature, the choices made concerning the two can go a long way to affect the life and destiny of an individual, nation and by extension the world.
Therefore, it is important to get choices and policy right when it comes to education and leadership. One way to achieve this is for people who have rich experiences relating to the two areas to reflect on it, by taking a deep inward look, and provide reflections for going forward. This can help to identify and address positive and negative areas for the benefit of individuals, parents, government, policy makers, and the general public.
Although much material has been written on education and leadership generally, there is no literature that I am aware of which articulates and analyzes the education process in Ghana and involvement in student leadership from a real-life point of view and based on the experiences of a young person with extensive first hand experience of issues relating to education and student leadership in Ghana.
This book has been written based on my own experiences when it comes to the education process in Ghana and elsewhere and student government activities in Ghana. The purpose is to share lessons from the path that I have travelled with the hope that it will be of benefit to particularly young people in Ghana and other parts of Africa. I begin in Chapter one with reflections on my early life in Nigeria and Ghana. Then I go on to narrate experiences and lessons relating to my education in Ghana and abroad in Chapter two. In Chapter three, I discuss experiences relating to student leadership roles in which I served in Ghana. Chapter four sums up and calls for the emergence of a new generation in Ghana and Africa and developmental opportunities for our young people.
Every young person created by God has a dream and an aspiration. However, one question in Ghana and Africa is whether every young person can find enough guidance and opportunity to realise their dreams and aspirations. This book offers insights from the path that I have travelled in Ghana and Africa and elsewhere and provides examples and stories that may be of benefit to young people who have dreams and aspirations.
In my own case, I have travelled a long and hard road when it comes to education and student leadership. From a modest family background, I went to a secondary school which is not too well endowed. Nonetheless, by the grace of God, I have been able to reach the pinnacle of educational qualification and student leadership at university in Ghana. I achieved all this before thirty years of age. Therefore, I commend this book to particularly young people who have education and youth leadership aspirations.
Success does not come easy and as a result of chance. It happens as a result of planned and calculated ambition, effort and vision. Therefore, any real-life story of success is worth sharing to inspire others. People of modest background like mine can feel assured that despite their greatest odds and challenges, they too, with the right attitude and strategy, can realise their aspirations when it comes to education and influence.
This book provides an exposition on the education process and student leadership in Ghana. If by any means, this book inspires any young person to aspire for greater heights in particularly education and leadership, it would have served its purpose.
Samuel Laryea (PhD)
Accra, Ghana, 2010
About Me
- Samuel Laryea
- Johannesburg, Guateng, South Africa
- I am a Senior Lecturer in the School of Construction Economics and Management at University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. In the past, I have been a Lecturer in the School of Construction Management and Engineering at the University of Reading, UK (2010-12); and also a Post-Doctoral Academic Fellow (2009) and Graduate Teaching Assistant (2008). I completed my PhD at University of Reading in Dec 2008 on the relationship between risk and price in tendering. Prior to transferring to Reading in Jan 2008, I was an MPhil/PhD student at KNUST, Ghana (2004-07). I gained my undergraduate degree in Building Technology from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana in 1998-2002. During school days, my peers elected me to serve in several leadership positions including SRC President at KNUST. From 1994-96, I attended Suhum Sec. Tech. School after basic education at schools in Ghana and Nigeria. I did my National Service with the Fanteakwa District Assembly in 2002-03. After that, I worked at the Development Office of KNUST until I started my PhD in 2004. I am a co-organiser for the WABER Conference and an author of 30+ research publications.
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4 comments:
I happened to be googling my last name when i came across this post,and would like you to know that what you've posted speaks volumes of what I'm striving to achieve as a freshman in college. I will one day be a great leader, time for me to get back to studying.
Thanks for the further inspiration and may your higher power bless you and the Laryea family name.
Am so happy about the upcoming book. Am currently doing a research on student leaders in Ghana for my Masters dissertation. I hope your book comes out early. because i believe i will need it for my work.
Kobina
Kobina, many thanks. Book is with the publishers and they are just about to begin work on it. I am sure that it will be out in about three months from now. You'll be able to get it from Amazon.com or if you contact me, I might be able to get you a copy. Will let you know when it is out. Thank you.
Hi i'm also doing my dissertation about the Ghana education system. I'm comparing it to the British system. As there aren't many books out there about the Ghana system i was excited about your book however i can't find it on Amazon. Is there any oyjer way i could get a copy of the book. Thank you
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