The Narrative of Development Discourse: Readings from the KNUST Experience

Abstract

There is a growing concern over the function of education in Ghana. While some believe education is to train the mind, others believe it is supposed to train the hand. There is yet a third group that also believes education should train both mind and hand. Whether education is supposed to train the head or the hand, there is a consensus that the main purpose of education is for national development. This paper takes a closer look at the concept of development vis-í -vis tertiary education of science and technology, using Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology as a case study. This study is therefore a contribution to the institution's attempt to shift "Pedagogical Stances Towards National Development”[1].The paper has recourse to qualitative apparatus of research and using discourse analysis and development theories, it investigates the link between science/technology and the study of culture or anthropology and its method of research, ethnography. Using the Agric Junction traffic light at KNUST as an example of development discourse, the paper demonstrates the insufficient link between science/technology and culture/ethnography as exemplified in the relationship between the construction of the traffic light by the Physics Department, KNUST, and the needs of the users of the traffic light. This investigation reveals that collaboration between the exact and social sciences could enhance the effectiveness of re-engineering to meet the needs of the society. The paper therefore calls for the kind of technical/technology education that concentrates a lot more on the socio-cultural needs of the beneficiary communities by introducing the relevant study of culture in the science and technology departments. This, in the view of the paper, will help a technological institution like KNUST to increase its capacity in accelerating the process of development in the country.