Prof. Elsie Effah Kaufmann urges educators to rethink teaching: 'Students want value addition'

Josephine Amuzu 06:39 - 06 April 2026

Prof. Elsie Effah Kaufmann says today’s students are becoming more proactive, combining classroom learning with online courses, projects and apprenticeships, while urging educators to adapt to changing learning trends.

Ghanaian academic and legendary National Science and Maths Quiz mistress Professor Elsie Effah Kaufmann, is calling for a rethink of traditional classroom teaching, warning that many students are no longer finding value in conventional lectures as they increasingly turn to online learning and practical skills development.

Speaking on VOKLive, Prof. Kaufmann revealed that concerns about low class attendance are becoming more common among lecturers. However, she challenged educators to look beyond attendance and focus on outcomes.

According to her, many of the same students who skip lectures are still passing exams, raising an important question about whether the current system is meeting their needs.

These same students that are not coming to class—are they not passing your exams? If they are passing, what’s the problem? she quizzed.

She explained that today’s learners are no longer limited to the classroom, with many accessing courses, certifications, and expert instruction online—often from some of the best institutions globally.

Some of the people sitting in your class already have certificates in what you are teaching, from some of the best professors in the world, because they are learning online, she noted.

Prof. Kaufmann stressed that this shift means students now expect more than just lectures when they show up in class. Instead, they are looking for added value—practical insights, engagement, and real-world relevance.

When they come to your class, they want to see value addition. So what extra are you doing to engage them? she asked.

She observed that many young people are becoming more proactive about their future, combining formal education with hands-on projects, apprenticeships, and online certifications to remain competitive in a rapidly changing job market.

Our young people are getting wiser. They have realised that the typical classroom experience alone may not give them what it takes to survive in the real world, she said.

The academic emphasised the need for both educators and institutions to adapt to this new reality, calling for a more flexible and responsive education system that recognises alternative learning pathways and prioritises practical outcomes.

We need to adjust—educators on one side, learners on the other side and build an ecosystem that values the outputs we produce, she added.

Her remarks highlight a growing conversation around the future of education in Ghana, where digital learning and skills-based training are increasingly shaping how young people prepare for the workforce.

Watch video below:

My faculty members will come to me and say our students don’t come to class - the question I ask is;

Have you considered that we are in a different world now? These students who are not coming to class are they not passing your exams? If they are passing your exam, what’s your… pic.twitter.com/GIIptiESN6
— 𝐕𝐎𝐊 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄 (@Thevokofficial) April 6, 2026

"Our young people (students) are getting wiser. I have seen a lot of young people realising that a typical classroom experience is not going to give them what it takes to survive in the real world..." -Prof. Elsie Effah Kaufmann.#VOKLive pic.twitter.com/sWueMGP43a
— 𝐕𝐎𝐊 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄 (@Thevokofficial) April 5, 2026

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