UG: Department of Earth Science and International Union of Geological Sciences-Commission on Geoscience Education hold workshop

The Department of Earth Science at the University of Ghana in collaboration with the International Union of Geological Sciences-Commission on Geoscience Education (IUGS-COGE) and other partners have held the IUGS-COGE Field Officers  workshop for 2025 in Ghana.

The three day event which was held in Accra between February 27 and March 1, brought together participants from home and abroad involving policymakers ,students, academics and selected teacher trainees to deliberate on the field of GeoScience and it’s relevance in the contemporary world.

Speaking at the event, the Convener of the workshop, Dr. Marian  Selorm Sapah revealed that the aim of the meeting was to create sustained awareness on the importance of Geoscience in both the academic and professional environments of the country and beyond.

She further added that due to the limited appreciation of the body of knowledge in general among the educational space in the country and largely on the continent, the assembly of topnotch academics and professional Geoscientists from Ghana,Italy, Burkina Faso, Egypt ,Portugal, South Korea and India has the potential of transferring skills and knowledge  among participants of the workshop to keep the importance of Geoscience in the minds of the general public for a long time.

“Geoscience as a field of knowledge plays a very critical role in our everyday lives as to how research and innovation is concerned with regards to activities like mining , oil and gas exploration, building and road construction amongst other fields of endeavour in daily interactions we undertake as a people.

And as such we ( Geoscientists) see it as a core duty to create much needed awareness on the invaluable role the body of knowledge plays in big ticket economic activities that draw investment for sustainable development and as such we must keep such subject worthy conversations on the front end of national conversations.

By organizing such events, governments and policy makers get to appreciate the importance of Geoscience Education and how  it transcends into pushing more students into the Science, Technology and Mathematics model of schooling which is going to be the new face of holistic education where innovation and scientific advancements will count more deeply into building sustainable societies”.

Also, Senior Lecturer at the University for Environment and Sustainable Development, Dr Salam Adams reiterated the importance of such workshops to draw more expertise from not just practitioners in the field but also get non-professionals and policymakers to get immersed into the field of Geoscience which will help broaden the scope of discussion of getting more support for the Sciences in the country’s educational space.

“As a professional geologist myself  and also a professional teacher, I believe that such workshops and platforms are very much useful to share information and knowledge in very relevant science biased fields like Geoscience where persons in the policy space and academia can meet and jaw jaw on issues that affect the effective teaching of such interesting courses like Earth science.

Science is very important in our everyday lives and as such,if we have  both the funding partners ( government ) and the academic institutions and policy makers on the same page in terms of crafting educational policies for the betterment of all stakeholders,it goes a long way to bridge the knowledge deficit and brings about the much needed support for effective knowledge dissemination across board.

It is therefore refreshing to see bodies such as the National Curriculum Assessment Authority, teacher trainees, young academics and seasoned professionals all in one setting to put their minds together and work on investing the much needed time and resources into making a credible case for contemporary fields of knowledge like Geoscience which are increasing relevant in the scheme of things today”.

Furthermore, one of the international participants, Professor Yong S Park from Chosun University in South Korea commended the organizers for a job well done and indicated that she was impressed about how the group were willing to share ideas across board to enrich their teaching experiences for their institutions and students.

She was of the view that such occurrences like climate change and related matters across the world have even put more currency on governments and educationists as well as Geoscientists to undertake more research to unravel innovative ways of handling issues that confront sustainable living the world over.

“I am really thrilled to be invited to this workshop all the way from South Korea by Dr Marian Selorm  Sapah and her team, I did my presentation on how we as educators can use everyday phenomenon to explain concepts practically to our students for them to be able to appreciate the value of education we give them in this field ( Geoscience) and I am amazed at the level of enthusiasm by all participants to contribute to meaningful discussions that bring about real change in our field of work.

In recent times, global phenomenon like rapid urbanization and climate change conditions has brought into sharp context, the ever increasing importance of an area of study like Geoscience which is critical for reawakening the minds of not only professionals in the field but also the purse holders in terms of finances and educational policies to see the urgency to invest in developing more numbers in the area of science and innovation that will lead to more organized and sustainable development in most countries in the world.

I am taking back snippets of information and discussions shared by my colleagues in here about the variations in the study of Geoscience across multiple countries and continents as well which will broaden my horizon as an industry professional, when I go back to my home country and university to transmit same to my learners”.

The three day workshop climaxed with a field trip to the Shai Hills Game Reserve in the Greater Accra Region  to learn more about biodiversity , geology and culture , hence it is a location that gives opportunity to learn about Geoscience in detail.

The participants  including this reporter on the field trip also shared their happiness and fulfillment of having been educated not only on the importance of Geoscience but also having the chance to view nature from its picturesque and idyllic viewpoint as part of a holistic experience.

The workshop was also under the distinguished patronage of the Vice Chair of the International Union of Geological Sciences – Commission on Geoscience Education, Sussan Occhipinti .