Accra, Nov. 23, - Dr Matthew
Opoku Prempeh, the Minister of Education, says government recognises the
capacity of the film, television, and the creative arts industry to generate
jobs and, thus, was determined to support it to achieve these goals.
He said the Ministry would
support the National Film and Television Institute (NAFTI) to ensure that it
contributed significantly to the growth of the creative arts in Ghana and
Africa.
Dr Prempeh said this in a speech
read on his behalf by Professor Mohammed Salifu, the Executive Director of the
National Council on Tertiary Education (NCTE) at the 14th Congregation ceremony
of NAFTI.
He commended the Institute for
the great strides it had made in the capital-intensive sector despite the
challenges it faced with financing over the years.
He urged management to continue
to position the school as the best higher educational institution for training
in film and television.
Dr Prempeh highlighted the
importance of the digital media environment such as having media producers who
were digitally literate and had good knowledge and understanding of digital
production techniques.
“…Not only that, to produce
enlightening content, they should be critical thinkers, who are grounded in the
liberal arts such that they can reflect and comment critically on the nation
and its culture,” he stated.
Dr Prempeh said he was confident
that NAFTI was well placed to offer that professional and quality digital
training that would bring Ghana’s broadcasting industry in the modern global
age.
He urged the graduates to be
guided by high moral principles in the presentation of media content and be
sensitive to the development of the Ghanaian cultural identity.
Nana Kwaw Ansah, Chief Executive
Officer of TV Africa, bemoaned the incidence of media production in Ghana
reinforcing some negative superstitions by the content they put out.
He noted that the audio-visual
media was a very powerful tool countries could use to develop and urged the
graduates to produce relevant stories that could take Ghana and Africa out of
the ‘gutters’.
“There’s no short cut. How
relevant are your stories going to be to enable us to shift from the gutters in
which we find ourselves; it is very important. Ghana and Africa are being
swallowed by superstition and a number of our performers have engaged
themselves in following what is not helping our development: superstition,” he
said.
Professor Kofi Agyekum, the Dean
of the School of Performing Arts, University of Ghana, who represented the Vice
Chancellor, challenged the graduates to prove themselves on the job market.
He tasked them to demonstrate
high standards of performance, commitment to hard work, integrity, discipline
and Godly leadership.
“You’re going out as ambassadors
of two great institutions, therefore, let society see you as great leaders,
with great ideas meant for great things. Brighten the corner where you are,” he
said.
The Institute graduated 195
students comprising 54 Degree students, 14 Diploma students and 126 with
certificates.
Awards were presented to students
who had excelled in their various courses.
GNA
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