Education and Human Resource Development in Ghana: The Need to Revisit Indigenous Forms.

Developing human resource is a daunting task that requires strategic thinking and focused action on achieving the needed goal. In this paper, we discuss education and human resource development (HRD) in Ghana and the need to revisit indigenous forms in our developmental efforts. Interfacing the indigenous and traditional knowledge systems into western education is critical for Ghana’s HRD efforts. Numerous research findings have confirmed the vitality of indigenous knowledge, in research, learning, and HRD. The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive strategy for HRD in Ghana. We followed a multidisciplinary integrated literature review approach and also reviewed relevant models and theories to present a broader view of the problems with HRD in Ghana and proposed a model for sustainable HRD. We hypothesized that interfacing the indigenous and traditional knowledge systems into western-styled education will enhance HRD in Ghana. We view the critical HRD (CHRD) approach as fundamental in this effort. We draw on the concept of Tempered Radical Approach to provide a framework for a CHRD and explore ways by which this view can contribute to developing human resources who possess the requisite tools and character to function effectively in the 21st century and beyond.