Throughout the 1980s, lectures were given by fellows to sixth-formers on topics, which were sometimes suggested by the secondary schools themselves. The topics were often related to the A-Level General Paper, which was compulsory for all students.
In subsequent years, these lectures evolved into "School Lectures," as the Academy calls them; and they were themes on both science and the humanities. To date, a number of secondary schools have benefited from the school lectures, including Accra Girls Secondary School, Saint Thomas Aquinas Secondary School, La Bone Secondary School, Mfantsipim School, and Wesley Girls' High School.
Topics addressed in the school lectures include 'Environmental Challenges of our time,' Causes and Consequences of Social Change in Ghana,' 'Witchcraft and National Development,' 'Culture and Development.'
In 2003 Professor Kwame Gyekye gave a lecture
to a joint meeting of students from Mfantsipim
School and Wesley Girls' High School in Cape Coast
on, 'Education and Critical Thinking.' The schools
have patronized these lectures immensely. The
school lecture series has since 2004, been extended
to other regions of the country. In November 2005
Prof. Ivan Addae-Mensah, Vice President (Science)
delivered a lecture to senior secondary schools
in the Asuogyaman District at Akwamuman Secondary
School .The title of his topic was 'What Examiners
Look Out For.'
One major outreach initiative by the Academy, which has not fully taken off due to lack of funds, is the organization of science lectures and workshops for school children aged between 10 and 18 years. The objective is to disseminate basic scientific principles and experimentation on science laws to children.
It is significant that one important constituency that has consistently patronized the Academy's public lectures over the years has been secondary school students. Whether from Presbyterian Secondary School, Accra Girls Secondary, S. O. S in Tema, or Achimota School, secondary school students in Accra here have taken advantage of their proximity to the venues for Academy lectures and the wide range of themes addressed, to attend the lectures and symposia.
In the past years, schools have also made bulk purchases of Academy publications. It is important to note that academy lectures, even though expected to be of high standards, are often not so technical as to be beyond the comprehension of non-specialists. |
