Students at a graduation ceremony
Dr Roger Koranteng, the Head of Public Sector Governance, Commonwealth Secretariat in the United Kingdom, says the focus of university training is not only the acquisition of knowledge but also the development of analytical and problem-solving skills.
That, he said, would enable graduates to deal with societal problems and other challenges they would inevitably encounter in the future.
Dr Koranteng who was the principal speaker at the 2021 graduation ceremony of the Rutgers University School of Public Affairs and Administration in Newark, United State of America, charged tertiary institutions to produce analytical graduates.
Dr Koranteng whose speech was made available to the Ghana News Agency at Tema charged the graduates that; “the result of your training should be to acquire the resilience that would enable you to withstand the challenges ahead”.
According to him, certainly, living a meaningful life was being able to have the versatility and creativity of mind to take appropriate control of one’s destiny and environment.
Dr Koranteng reminded graduates that the degrees they had earned were paper qualifications, and that their real value laid in their application of the knowledge they had acquired.
He said, to succeed in life, also require personal and societal values, which if well applied, would make them all-rounded and well-groomed responsible individuals, needed for national development.
“I am talking about values such as honesty, team spirit, commitment, resourcefulness, patriotism, respect for human dignity, patience, and diversity” he added, explaining that those values would eventually shape their attitude to life and empower them for success.
Citing a personal experience, Dr Koranteng said: “sometimes, circumstances will force you out of your comfort zone into a situation so precarious, but looking back long after that event, you would realise, it was the best thing that happened to you.”
He called on the graduates to be mindful that extraordinary achievements in life depended on diverse things, and just having book knowledge did not mean one would necessarily be successful in life.
“Have you wondered what makes one person more successful than another; book knowledge matters but it is not a sufficient condition as you might think,” he said.
He emphasized that there were four types of Quotients that might impact differently on their lives including; Intelligent Quotient (IQ), Emotional Quotient (EQ), Social Quotient (SQ), and Adversity Quotient (AQ).”
He congratulated the graduates on their new feat and successfully going through Rutgers University School of Public Affairs and Administration, and called on them to prove to be worthy ambassadors of the university and uphold the highest standards, integrity and values the university inculcated in them.
The institution educates and motivates students to choose careers in public service and administration through its innovative and comprehensive undergraduate and graduate degrees and professional and graduate certificate programmes.
Its faculty generates knowledge and best practices in public affairs and administration and collaborates with public and non-profit organizations and professionals throughout the U.S. and the world.
It is guided by the principles of Knowledge, Competence, Diversity, Service and Ethics – with an emphasis on public service values and competencies for effective performance – promotes accountability, transparency, and performance in the public and non-profit sectors.