The Chancellor of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Prof. Melissa Nobles wants education stakeholders to train students to be visionaries.

“What is our responsibility to our students? Our job, I think, is to prepare them to invent the future and also to prepare them to lead their cities, to lead their countries, to lead the world. Whichever way they’re leading, that’s everywhere our students find themselves, we have to teach them how to do that.

“A big part of that is to make sure they can think for themselves, that they think critically, that they may be intellectually curious, that they learn well the fundamentals of their disciplines and they have curiosity for other disciplines because knowledge in the 21st century is multi-disciplinary. It’s not enough to know one thing, you have to know many things and oftentimes, you have to know many things well,” she said.

Speaking at a public lecture on the theme: “The student at the heart of university education: Reflections from chancellor Melissa Nobles of Massachusetts Institute of technology”, though Prof. Nobles noted the university’s role in intellectual development, she wants a focus on student personal development and teamwork.

“Intellectual development, of course, is a fundamental part of higher education but it’s not the only responsibility. The other is personal development for students as well as commitment to building communities and participating with others towards a common purpose,” she charged.

The Vice-Chancellor of KNUST, Prof. Mrs. Akosua Dickson highlighted the university’s commitment to ensuring inclusive education essential for success after graduation.

“As a university at KNUST, this means a lot to us, with the passion and drive for providing an all-inclusive education for our students where diversity of thoughts and respect for human dignity is always upheld, we continue to be very keen about the many students we can include and we must include rather than exclude as we provide these opportunities and unique experiences for students

“The student must and should continue to be at the centre of all that we do. This approach will not only improve the quality of education but this approach will better prepare our students for life beyond the university walls,” she said.

Other activities which have been lined up to mark Prof. Nobles' visit include a panel discussion and a public debate.--