News and commentary

This letter was published in the Toronto Star, on December 22, 2010

Paul Davidson
President
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada

Rick Westhead’s article highlights the reasons why Canada’s universities have undertaken an unprecedented collaboration in attracting Indian students to our country.

Canada needs to build its reputation as a top destination for postsecondary students in India. Millions more Indian families will soon be seeking postsecondary education for their children in order to assure them of a prosperous future. The Indian government has reached out to other countries to help fill this growing demand, which is far beyond its own capacity. Canada is answering the call.

Last month, 15 university presidents took part in the Association of University and Colleges of Canada’s seven-day education mission to India. One Canadian university reaching out to a nation where 550 million people are under the age of 25 is a mere drop in the bucket, but when 15 presidents along with Canada’s Minister of Science and Technology, Gary Goodyear, made the journey together, they attracted the attention of the highest levels of Indian government, educators and media.

Along with our federal government’s new emphasis on trade links with India, this increasing focus on Indian recruitment holds the promise of something truly transformational for our country: The emergence of a new “super-partnership” that will position Canada as a leader in the new global economy.

An excerpt from this letter was published in the Globe and Mail on December 13, 2010.

Paul Davidson
President
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada

John Ibbitson’s article (Ottawa, chiefs agree to pursue wholesale reform of native education, Dec. 10) conveys welcome news.

Canada’s universities applaud the collaboration of our federal government and aboriginal leadership in what could be an unprecedented overhaul of on-reserve education.

Canada as a whole will emerge stronger when Aboriginal students have the high quality education they require and deserve – an innovative education that celebrates Aboriginal identity and knowledge.

This reform will also open the doors to a postsecondary education to thousands of native students who may not have otherwise pursued further studies. These students will receive a warm welcome and relevant educational experience at universities across the country, an assurance that comes from the meaningful, action-oriented new partnership between Canada’s universities and Aboriginal communities.

This past October, the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada and the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation co-hosted the National Working Summit on Aboriginal Postsecondary Education. This dialogue highlighted that Canada’s postsecondary institutions are already helping strengthen the educational experience of Aboriginal K-12 students in significant ways, including an Aboriginal focus in many teacher-education programs and youth outreach initiatives.

Our universities have committed to strengthening outreach programs and developing curriculum that is relevant to Aboriginal students’ life experiences.

It is with a sense of urgency that these commitments have been made. Aboriginal Canadians can no longer have limited access to the high quality of life our country affords. And this nation needs the full participation and partnership of Aboriginal Canadians in building the economy if Canada is going to be a productivity leader in the new global marketplace.

Education is how we get there.

Ottawa, December 2, 2010 – Canada’s universities welcome the announcement by the government of Canada to extend the completion deadline for the Knowledge Infrastructure Program (KIP) from March 31, 2011 to October 31, 2011.

“The Knowledge Infrastructure Program is transforming campuses across the country, and improving the quality of the research and learning experience for Canadian students,” said Paul Davidson, President of AUCC.

Through KIP, 79 Canadian universities have undertaken 183 infrastructure projects with a total value of $3.2 billion from federal, provincial and other sources. Canada’s universities responded quickly to the government of Canada’s Economic Action Plan, and working with the provinces this program has been an outstanding success. Construction has been completed in several KIP projects, and is well underway in the vast majority of other projects. A small number of projects have run into unexpected and unavoidable delays.

Universities have been working hard to meet the March 31st deadline, and have been reporting regularly on the progress being made. Today’s extension makes sense and will be welcomed by the thousands of men and women across Canada working to complete these projects.

See examples of the new facilities being created because of KIP funding.

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AUCC is the national voice for Canada’s universities. It represents 95 Canadian public and private not-for-profit universities.

Melanie Béchard
Communications Officer
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada
Tel.: 613-563-3961, x 306
E-mail: mbechard@aucc.ca

For more information about the KIP extension, please read the government of Canada news release.

OTTAWA, November 30, 2010 -– Working closely with trainee teachers and community workers at three Ghanaian universities, researchers from Simon Fraser University (SFU) have successfully helped reduce the stigma related to HIV/AIDS in hundreds of communities in Ghana.

“Stigma is a major obstacle in Ghana to HIV-prevention, for access to appropriate treatment and to care,” says Dr. Martin Laba, the Canadian project director from SFU’s school of communication. Funded by the Canadian International Development Agency, and administered by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, the 6-year long project has directly informed approximately 104,000 people in Ghanaian communities about the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS.

Researchers from SFU along with Ghana’s University of Cape Coast (UCC), the University of Ghana and the University of Education, Winneba, created a curriculum to demystify the disease and address its prevention and treatment. This information is then disseminated in local communities via student teachers and community workers.

Explaining the approach, Albert Koomson, director, UCC Centre for Distance Education, notes that all trainee teachers at the participating universities are required to take the course which lasts one-semester and outlines how the virus is transmitted. “Students have learned that shaking hands, sharing food, hugging or being in proximity to a person living with HIV or AIDS doesn’t pass on the disease,” says Mr. Koomson.

Researchers conducted interviews in Ghana as part of the curriculum development and found that misinformation, with its accompanying stigma, lead to such inhumane treatment as firing people from their jobs or evicting them from rental homes on the basis of their HIV-positive status.

The project ends this year and over its duration has successfully graduated a critical mass of school teachers, youth workers, students, parents and teenagers who have a more comprehensive understanding of HIV/AIDS. This cohort of thousands of informed people has collectively influenced those around them and brought about a huge reversal in trends. Now, for many, the disease is no longer associated with negative judgements on a person’s morality or even their worth as a human being.

A key element of the teachers’ training is a “portfolio” study whereby the student teachers visit two households of at least four individuals to survey their HIV/AIDS knowledge base. Students return twice more to share correct information and ensure householders have a clear understanding of the disease. In Ghana, teachers, including trainee teachers, receive special respect among community members. They are well-received and viewed as authoritative sources of knowledge.

According to Mr. Koomson, UCC efforts alone have reached almost 60,000 people directly, but the combined efforts of the three institutions have reached over 100,000 people. “The results were so impressive that the Ghana AIDS Commission now works hand in hand with us at the universities as they are very impressed by our reach,” says Mr. Koomson. Members of the project’s steering committee meet monthly with representatives from the Commission and the Ghanaian Ministry of Health.

The Ghana AIDS Commission reported a decline in the country’s prevalence rate from 3.2 percent in 2003 to 1.9 percent in 2009. This translates into around 300,000 HIV-infected people, a relatively low prevalence rate. However, this does not mean efforts should be relaxed.

“With this low rate, it is very easy for people to get into complacency mode, thinking that it’s not a major issue,” says Professor Sakyi Amoa, the Commission’s director. “ …to succeed we must intensify education and awareness. That tells you the important role of education in the whole national response.”

As World AIDS Day approaches on December 1st, the project responds directly to this year’s theme of universal access and human rights.

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For more information:

Note: B-roll (22 mins.) available. Please contact AUCC for downloadable file.

For highlights, see video below:

Interviews available with:
Project Director, Simon Fraser University:
Dr. Martin Laba, School of Communication
Tel.: (778) 782-5166
Email: laba@sfu.ca

Project Director, University of Cape Coast:
Dr. Albert Koomson, Director, Centre for Distance Education
Tel.: (233) 042 36946 OR (233) 042 36947 OR (233) 042 35203
Cell: (233) 243 887343
Email: albertkmsncce@yahoo.co.uk OR cceucc@yahoo.com
Note: Time difference between Ottawa, Ontario and Ghana +5:0 hrs;
Time difference between Vancouver, BC and Ghana: +8:0 hrs

Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada:
Elizabeth Smith; Communications Manager
Tel.: (613) 563-3961, ext. 246
Email: esmith@aucc.ca

Accra, Ghana, November 15, 2010 – Universities’ role in the development of a more prosperous Africa was advanced last week with the announcement of a new $2.2 million partnership between African and Canadian universities. Officially launched to coincide with African University Day, this undertaking by the Association of African Universities (AAU) and the Association of Canadian Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) aims to strengthen ties between African universities and local and regional industries to ensure the development of the skills and knowledge to meet Africa’s current economic needs.

“The Government of Ghana is proud to be associated with this new collaborative project,” remarked Ghana’s Deputy Minister of Education Dr. Joseph Annan, who was a keynote speaker at the event. “The project’s objectives of strategic planning, conducting case studies on university-industry linkages and strengthening the AAU and member-stakeholder relations will not only help to deliver on the association’s mandate, but will also showcase how universities play a central role in the continent’s development,” he said.

As noted during the launch, universities are critical members of today’s knowledge economy, helping to generate a highly skilled workforce as well as the vital networks that bring people, knowledge and infrastructure together.

“With this new initiative, we see the AAU-AUCC relationship moving from strength to strength, supporting a new generation of Africa-Canada university linkages,” observed Canada’s High Commissioner to Ghana Ms. Trudy Kernighan, who also spoke at the event.

No strangers to each other, the AAU approached the AUCC because of Canadian universities’ successful track record in working with the private sector and other key stakeholders. The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) is providing the financial support for this three-year project.

The theme for this year’s African University Day is the Contribution of African Universities to the Achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

As part of the partnership, individual African and Canadian universities will team up to plan strategies for increased African university-industry linkages. An example includes the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), in Tarkwa, Ghana and Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) who will work together to establish a cooperative education program at UMaT. As an integral part of the engineering undergraduate program, the new program will train students working in the local oil and gas industry.

Ghana is on the verge of becoming an oil-producing country. Oil production is expected to start at the end of 2010 and based on proven reserves, oil revenues are expected to contribute an estimated four to six percent of GDP over the next five years, according to the International Monetary Fund.

MUN’s cooperative program is a great asset to this initiative according to Dr. John Quaicoe, the dean of engineering and applied science. This project evolved from his visit to the university in Ghana three years ago.

Apart from his Ghanaian roots, Dr. Quaicoe underlines the importance of sharing his knowledge and experience for the benefit of others. “To be able to help a developing country with the genuine desire to have an improved standard of living is the real motivation,” said Dr. Quaicoe. “I feel that we in Canada are quite blessed in terms of our resources, our way of life,” he says. “We will use our experience to work with our colleagues at UMaT to assist in the development of skilled professionals for the oil and gas industry.”

Professor Elias Asiam, dean of international programs at UMaT and a mineral engineer, was among those at the launch and also remarked on his institution’s new partnership with MUN. “We are the only university in Ghana mandated to train engineers in the oil and gas sector in Ghana and elsewhere,” he noted, adding that UMaT is training not only students from the region but also professionals from other countries’ ministries of mining, including from Nigeria and Liberia.

“We especially appreciate working with MUN as they have been there a long time and we are just starting. They will foresee our challenges and help us with them.”

AAU was established in 1967 by universities in Africa to promote cooperation among themselves and with the international academic community. With a membership of 253 higher education and research institutions from 46 African countries, the association’s vision is to maintain the AAU as the representative voice of the African higher education community.

AUCC is the voice of Canada’s universities. It represents 95 Canadian public and not-for-profit universities and university-degree level colleges.

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For more information:
Jackey Locke
Communications, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science
Memorial University
Tel: (709) 864-8287
Cell: (709) 691-5027
Email: jackey.locke@mun.ca

Professor Elias Asiam
University of Mines and Technology (UMaT)
Tarkwa, Ghana
Tel: 011- 233-244593689
Email: ekasiam@yahoo.com

Liz Smith
Communications, Partnership Programs
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada
Tel: (613) 864-2891
Email: esmith@aucc.ca

NOTE: Photos available.