“Performing Arts is the Face of Every Nation” – PATAG President

Mr. Edu, PATAG President

The President of the Performing Arts Teachers Association of Ghana (PATAG), Mr. Johnson Edu has called on the government and stakeholders to invest in Performing Arts to aid national growth.  

He said Michael Jackson became a hit in the US because America considered Performing Arts as the face of the nation. He added that “let us create a course that will be enviable to the whole nation since our field is the face of every nation”.

Mr. Edu said this on Wednesday 21^st March, 2018 during a workshop for teachers handling subjects under Performing Arts at the Central Campus of the University of Education, Winneba.  

He revealed that the workshop was to retool the whole National Educational Curriculum Framework system, make government know the role of Performing Arts and let individuals know PATAG’s contributions to the new policy framework. He said “We need to identify creative ways of doing things; that is the teaching and learning of Performing Arts, Music and Dance Theatre and even the Visual Arts”.  

The President of PATAG pointed out that the workshop was also to have basic ideas of understanding children, students and learners as far as their inclinations or psychological beliefs were concerned adding, “if we get to know their temperamental traits then we can better place them within their learning scope”.

He however called on all members to nurture students and also come out with laudable ideas that could be incorporated into the new policy framework. He said “you and I would have to contribute to that. We need not to sit down for some group of consultative members to put together the whole idea, release it and you cannot even work with it. But if you have a part to play in this whole national creed then you can push it with confidence, hope, passion and dedication”.

Dr. deGraft Yankson, Dean, School of Creative Arts

The Dean of School of Creative Arts, Dr. Patrique deGraft Yankson who gave the welcome address said Ghana was failing in terms of educational aspirations. He hinted that in spite of several educational reforms in the post-independent Ghana, the nation’s educational systems continue to be delusive of true Ghanaian values that would have prepared the citizenry to appropriately take up their future roles in society.

The one day workshop was chaired by former Dean of Student Affairs, Prof. Cosmos Mereku and emceed by a lecturer and the General Secretary, PATAG, Dr. Kwasi Amponsah. Also in attendance were lecturers at the Department of Theatre Arts and teachers from Basic and High schools.