It is usually perceived that for anyone who attains the level of a professor, one of the most primary things in their lives would be that they schooled for years and acquired many academic certificates.
In the case of Professor Emeritus Stephen Adei, a former Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), while he has attained the highest levels of education, it was not exactly a smooth ride.
Speaking with the Business and Financial Times (B&FT) newspaper in its celebration series, the professor explained that he skipped secondary school.
Giving further details, he said that it was not a case of not qualifying for secondary school, but it had to do with the fact that there was no money to support his desire to continue schooling at the time.
“As early as primary six, Prof. Adei harboured the desire to go the university and the only route to that at that time was through secondary school. So, from grade eight, he sat for the common entrance examination which he passed through to grade 10, securing admissions into Prempeh College, Mfantsipim, and Aggrey Memorial School in consecutive years.
“However, he was unable to enroll in any of the schools and for the first time, he realised his family was poor. The 16-year-old Stephen Adei was becoming frustrated because thought that was the only route by which I could get into the university,” the report added.
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Prof. Stephen Adei added that he however got advice from his teachers that he considers today as one of the best pieces of counsel he has ever received in his life.
"I was so disturbed and I wanted to know what to do since my chances of going to university seemed doomed forever. Mr. Amoah then encouraged me and told me that there was another way. He said I could write the O and A-Level examinations by studying via correspondence programmes. I simply had to study on my own and write the exams…that brightened me up and I think that was one of the best pieces of advice I had ever received regarding education," he said.
About Prof Stephen Adei:
Stephen Adei, born 14 December 1948, is a Ghanaian educationist, writer, economist and motivational speaker. He was a former Director-General and Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration.
He is currently the chairperson of the National Development Planning Commission under the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government He also serves as the Board Chairman of the Ghana Revenue Authority having been sworn in by the Finance Minister of Ghana; Ken Ofori-Atta.
He was born in Hwiremoase a village in the Ashanti Region of Ghana to Kwaku Adei and Abena Pomaa (aka Bedito). He had his primary school education at the Hwiremoase Methodist Primary school and a nearby United Middle School in Brofuyedru.
He is the fourth out of seven surviving all male children of his parents. After his basic school education, he obtained a four year Teacher's Certificate in 1964 from the Sefwi Wiawso Training College.
Stephen Adei studied privately to gain London University Ordinary and Advanced Level General Certificates in Education, and High School equivalent qualifications in three and a half years.
Adei proceeded to the University of Ghana in October 1968 where he read Economics, Sociology and Geography obtaining honours in all three first-year subjects before going on to do a BSc Honours programme in Economics.
Stephen Adei then went to Strathclyde for his Masters in Development Economics. He also holds a PhD in International Economics at the University of Sydney.
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