Accra, Sept., 3. A group of 12 Canadian students have arrived in the country to undertake a ten – month academic and field research programme. The programme, the first that Canada is undertaking in the country, i s under a special project by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) and Trent University in Peterborough, Canada. The students have specialised in development studies and are expected to gain a first hand information and knowledge about Ghana by working in the rural and the most deprived areas. They will also be attached to non-governmental organisations (NGOS) a nd joined by some Ghanaian students. Speaking at the opening of a six-week orientation course for the stu dents, Mr. John Schram, Canadian High Commissioner, reminded the students of the
friendship between Ghana and Canada. “You are fulfilling a real niche in Ghana, the partnership that has e xisted for the past 40 years between our two countries”, he said, and urged them to give off their best wherever they would be. Mr. Schram said the three-year project “will allow for the start of a sustainable field placement programme for Canadian students in Ghana”. Professor Steven Langdon of Trent University and Co-ordinator of the project in Ghana said 46 undergraduates are expected to have participated during the project’s lifespan. Professor J.S. Djangmah, Project Co-director said the interaction bet ween the two student groups and with Ghanaian professors and lecturers, would help correct any false impressions they might have about Africa. “Our visitors’ understanding of the subjects will extend far beyond what will be found in books and what will normally be provided to them by pro fessors operating outside the Ghanaian cultural millieu”. During their two-term stay in Ghana, the students will complete cour se work as well as do field work under the supervision of the University of Ghana . They are expected to return to Canada in May next year.
