Commemoration of World Quality Week: Citizens urged to embrace culture of quality, innovation
The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has urged citizens to adopt a mindset of ensuring quality, innovation, and ethical leadership across all sectors of national life.
He said the country’s future depended on how citizens embraced such virtues in their daily lives and workplaces, adding, “It is our collective responsibility to make quality not just an aspiration but a lived reality.”
The minister said a culture of excellence was crucial to transforming the country’s economy and achieving sustainable development in a rapidly changing global environment.
Mr Iddrisu was speaking at the 2025 World Quality Week celebration in Accra on the theme: “Quality: Think differently.”
The event was jointly organised by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) and the Global Quality Assurance Association.
Educators, policymakers, students and industry leaders met to reflect on how the country could embed quality and excellence across all areas of national development
Transformation
Mr Iddrisu said education remained the foundation of national progress and must be transformed to reflect 21st-century needs.
He said the nation must move away from rote learning and standardised testing that stifle creativity and critical thinking, and rather promote a competency-based approach that encourages innovation and problem-solving.
“Our goal is not to produce mere spectators of knowledge, but innovators and leaders who will drive sustainable development in Ghana and beyond,” Mr Haruna said.
He said the government would continue to strengthen partnerships between educational institutions, industry and communities to ensure that learning outcomes were relevant to the job market.
The minister stressed the importance of technical and vocational education, describing it as a vital tool for economic empowerment and entrepreneurship.
“Quality does not stop at the classroom. It extends into the heart of our industries and commerce,” he added.
Collaboration
The Deputy Director of GTEC, Professor Augustine Ocloo, said quality assurance in education should focus on people and continuous improvement rather than compliance only.
He said GTEC would continue to collaborate with universities and tertiary institutions to promote accountability and transparency in academic programmes and institutional governance.
Prof. Ocloo said the commission was working to address challenges such as the use of unaccredited institutions and unethical academic practices.
“In education, quality is not about grades but about learning that empowers. In business, it’s not just about meeting targets but about creating impact and sustainability,” he said.
Prof. Ocloo added that the attitude of tolerating mediocrity was visible not only in education but also in other sectors such as mining, where the distinction between small-scale mining and illegal mining (galamsey) had become blurred.
Standards
The Director of the Global Quality Assurance Association, Dr Violet Makuku, also urged citizens to “think differently” and stop normalising poor standards and indiscipline.
She questioned the acceptance of lateness, missed deadlines, choked gutters, and disregard for road and environmental regulations.
Dr Makuku said the World Quality Week celebration was not only a recognition of achievements in quality assurance but also a time for reflection on how attitudes and behaviours affected national progress.
