Universities and research institutions urged to make their works easily accessible 

Universities and research institutions have been urged to make research outcomes easily accessible to the public to help build industries, power the economy and enable people to make informed decisions on who should lead them.

Professor Eric Appau Asante, Director of E-Learning at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), who made the call, said knowledge flourished when it was shared, exchanged and collectively nurtured to create a future where wisdom grew through access and collaboration.

Speaking at the inauguration of two journals for the Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED) in Kumasi, Prof Asante pointed out that the world’s most powerful nations were not those with gold, oil, or diamonds. “They are those with knowledge that built industries, powered the economy, determined who lead, who follows and who is left behind.”

The inauguration of the two journals; – Journal of Technology Education and Applied Sciences (JTEAS), and Journal of Applied Social Sciences and Entrepreneurial Education (JASSEE), was on the theme: “Advancing knowledge in TVET and Entrepreneurship Education through Open Access Publication”.

Prof Asante pointed out that, open access to academic research information and knowledge in the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and entrepreneurship, was critical since they were the engines of national transformation.

He said TVET equipped hands with skills, while research refined those skills into industries, adding that, entrepreneurship created businesses, but knowledge ensured those businesses survived and scaled up.

Prof Asante stated that journals in the TVET sector were critical since they guided what the scholars taught and how they teach it, ensuring that TVET and entrepreneurship remained connected to real societal needs.

He commended the university for coming out with the journals and asked the faculty members to write and contribute to them since journals thrived when they contributed articles into it.

Professor Fredrick Kwaku Sarfo, Vice Chancellor of AAMUSTED in an address read for him, said knowledge must be freely made available and not restricted, adding that, by embracing open access model, the university was ensuring that ideas generated there and beyond were accessible to scholars, policy makers, industry and communities worldwide.

“This democratization of knowledge enhance collaboration, drove innovation and magnified the societal impact of academic work.”

He said the two journals were clearly connected to the university’s mandate of providing higher education in TVET and disseminating results of research available to society.

Aside that, he said the university had a vision to be a world-class socially responsible TVET and entrepreneurial development teacher education university.

Source: GNA 

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