"Can we merge western and non-western ways of knowing?" "Can a teacher/faculty move from being a "sage on stage" to actually saying to a student, and meaning it, "you are free to think"?
These were some of the memorable sound-bites from a thought-provoking presentation and discussion on campus led by Prof Clarence 'Skip' Ellis - the first African-American to obtain a PhD in Computer Science, and Professor Emeritus at University of Colorado.
Starting with a brief overview of education in the 19th and early 20th centuries in the US, Prof Ellis highlighted some of the movements and opportunities in education which have come to the fore in the 21st century. Home-schooling, open courses - terms new to many listeners, but interesting nonetheless. Prof Ellis also examined impact of the information revolution brought about by access to the resources available through the internet, especially in the US, where more than 80% have access to the internet.
He challenged listeners to question where education in Ghana and Ashesi is currently. What were the social factors which made and make our education different? Is education in Ghana a case of "one size fits all", as it seems to have been in the US? Ashesi has organised some international collaborative learning experiences - with Swarthmore and Wilfred Laurier - but are these the only models that are appropriate for us?
Prof Ellis went on to ask the audience to think also about the difference between "education" and "training"; he felt the former was to foster understanding, not just to acquire data and knowledge, which the latter emphasises. The question was in the air: what is happening to us here in Ghana, and at Ashesi?
Prof Ellis returns to Ashesi in the second semester of the 2012-13 academic year to facilitate a course, that sounds completely different, on: "World simulations: Culture, technology and ethics".