No Need For New College Of Education

The Forum for Education Reform (FFER), under the auspices of IMANI Ghana, has asked government not to pursue its current goal to establishing 10 new tertiary institutions. According to the members of the group, government should instead invest in the existing institutions and expand their facilities in order to improve the quality of output. �Currently, the Colleges of Education have an average enrolment of about 400 students. Their enrolment can easily be doubled without much expansion in the existing facilities to cover what the proposed ten new institutions would provide,� a release signed by the 14 members of the group said. The members are Sir Sam Jonah Chairman, Prof Stephen Adei, Educationist (former Rector of gimpa) � Vice Chairman, Prof Seth Buatsi, Educationist (formerly of University Ghana/moed), Mr Kenneth Quartey, Businessman, MD, SYDALS LTD. & old Achimotans Association, Mr Franklin Cudjoe, Founding President and CEO, imani, Ms Adelaide Ahwireng, Managing Director, FIO Enterprises, Mr Kofi Bentil, Vice President, imani & General Secretary to Forum, Dr Patrick Awuah, President, Ashesi University. Others are Mr Israel Titi-Ofei, Principal, SOS-Hermann Gmeiner Intl College, Dr Tony Oteng-Gyasi, Managing Director, Tropical Cable Ltd & IMANI Board, Prof Addae Mensah, Educationist (Former Vice Chancellor, University of Ghana), Prof J. S. Djangmah, Former Director-General, Ghana Education Service, Dr Lydia Apori Nkansah, Lecturer, Knust Law School, Dr K.B. Asante, Retired Diplomat and Educationist and Secretary to Ghana�s first president, Dr Kwame Nkrumah. Government recently announced plans to establish 10 new Colleges of Education as one of its policies to advance education in the country. Although the forum is of the view that an overhaul of the current teacher training system is necessary to preserve and enhance the nation�s best asset, which is human resource, the challenge is determining the right areas where such investments ought to be made. Sharing its concerns and presenting alternative solutions to the state of quality and output of the 38 existing Colleges of Education in the country the group said, �The Forum considers that a more cost effective and efficient way for government to achieve its laudable objective of improving teacher education lies in the expansion and improvement of current facilities within the existing 38 colleges.� This, they say would expand capacity and improve quality with less public expenditure. There is an urgent need to evaluate and establish firmly where the colleges fit vis-�-vis Universities adding that curriculum development must meet global standards. Despite the existing colleges being recently upgraded to tertiary status, there are still persistent issues with quality. The need to improve the quality of output of the Colleges is clear. This can be achieved by improving the facilities, updating the quality of instruction, infusing technology, updating the teaching methods and models, amongst others. These developments would result in better output from the teacher training institutions. �The Forum for Education Reform is prepared to work with government and like-minded organizations to attain the right standards for teacher training in Ghana.�