The Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Prof. Ernest Kofi Davis, has called for a deliberate shift towards an education system that combines knowledge, skills, attitudes and values to prepare Ghanaian learners for the rapidly changing world.

According to him, education must go beyond academic achievement to transform learners into responsible citizens capable of applying their knowledge and skills for the benefit of themselves and society.

Prof. Davis made the call at the 2026 Annual General Meeting, Workshop and Conference of Managers of Education Units in the Western Region, held under the theme: “Faith-Based Education in the 21st Century: Challenges, Opportunities and the Way Forward.”

He said faith-based institutions had played a historic role in Ghana’s educational development, establishing schools, training teachers and promoting values including honesty, respect, empathy, service and accountability.

He, however, said the changing educational environment, driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI), social media, globalisation and other technologies, required faith-based institutions to rethink how they prepared learners.

Prof. Davis said while AI presented significant opportunities to improve teaching, learning and administration, it also came with risks, including misinformation, inappropriate content and other harmful influences.

He, therefore, advocated a balance between Artificial Intelligence and Human Intelligence, arguing that technological competence must be grounded in ethics and strong values.

“We have to teach AI as well as HI,” he said, stressing that highly skilled people without integrity, empathy and responsibility could use their knowledge and creativity to the detriment of society.

The GES Director-General further noted that the responsibility for shaping children’s character extended beyond the classroom, as learners were constantly influenced by their homes, communities, traditional media and social media.

He called for stronger collaboration between Government and faith-based Education Units to strengthen teacher development, embrace innovation, protect children and integrate values education with academic and vocational excellence.

Education must transform — TTU Provost

The Provost of Takoradi Technical University, Ing. Prof. Ebenezer Boakye, supported the call for a more holistic approach, stressing that education must transform rather than merely inform.

He said possessing knowledge and technical skills without the right attitudes could undermine the very society education was intended to serve.

Ing. Prof. Boakye urged education managers to reclaim values such as discipline, integrity, diligence, respect, compassion and service, while adapting them to the realities of the 21st century.

Minister calls for stronger partnership

The Western Regional Minister, Joseph Nelson, said faith-based education remained an important partner in Ghana’s development, given its historic contribution to the country’s education system.

He said Government could not transform education alone and called for stronger collaboration among Government, faith-based organisations, teachers, parents, communities and other stakeholders.

Mr Nelson urged education managers to use the conference to “rethink, reform and reposition” faith-based education, preserving its enduring values while embracing technology and innovation.

He said the ultimate objective must be to produce young people who are academically competent, morally grounded, technologically capable and socially responsible.

“The future of Ghana will be determined, to a large extent, by the quality of education we provide to our children today,” he said.