<<Print>>

The Principal of the Tumu College of Education, Mr Bertinus Adams Kaleo, has appealed to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to ease the ban on sporting activities in schools in the country.

According to the principal, easing the restrictions on sporting activities at the college, zonal and national levels would enable students to blend academic work with recreation.

 At the school's fourth congregation ceremony last Saturday, Mr Kaleo indicated that adherence to the COVID-19 safety measures was high among the college students, adding that if the restrictions were eased, the colleges of education would be able to conduct sporting activities at the college and zonal levels with strict compliance to all the COVID-19 protocols.

"If there is any place that the COVID-19 restrictions are strictly adhered to at the tertiary level, it is on the colleges of education campuses. I am convinced that we will be able to conduct our sporting activities at the college, zonal and national levels with strict compliance with all the COVID-19 protocols," he said.

The principal further appealed to the President and other stakeholders to ensure that the choice of membership of the governing councils of colleges reflected their new status as tertiary institutions.

Congregation

The congregation ceremony witnessed the conferment of diplomas to 678 students from two batches, 2019 and 2020, who successfully satisfied the requirements for the awards by the mentoring institutions.

According to the principal, out of the total number of graduands, 383 of them completed their studies in 2019 while 295 completed in 2020.

He added that the college, over the years, had witnessed gradual improvement in students' performances, saying the second congregation which witnessed the graduation five different batches in 2017, recorded only two first class honours, while the third congregation in 2018 recorded five first class honours.
 
He, however, said the fourth congregation recorded significant increase in the number of first-class students to nine, while the number of students graduating with pass reduced to 29.

Reforms

Mr Kaleo said the college intended to introduce junior high school specialism in the 2021/2022 academic year, which he said would place emphasis on participatory methods of teaching and learning to make the process more interactive.

"To facilitate the process, the use of ICT is no more an option but a must. The COVID-19 pandemic has even made the use of ICT an essential element of our teaching and learning process," he added.

He said a component of the new programme was the supported teaching in school (STS), which sought to offer trainees the opportunity to have practical experience throughout their training period.

Mr Kaleo added that the STS was necessary because students would get acquainted with the challenges associated with the teaching profession right from day one of their training, which would enhance their professional values and attitudes, professional knowledge and professional practice.

Challenges/appeal

The principal further stressed the need for technical and financial clearance to be granted to colleges for the recruitment of both academic and administrative staff in order to sustain the Bachelor of Education programme as the current staffing situation was woefully inadequate.

Mr Kaleo said there was the need for an intervention to tackle the contemporary challenge of using emergency remote teaching modules which, he said, required the use of ICT and internet connectivity.

He added that the school lacked lecture rooms and ICT and science laboratories that were tertiary compliant, saying that the school needed a 65-seater bus for the effective implementation of the STS and a cross country vehicle for official engagements since the maintenance cost of the over 10-year old patrol was very high.

Advice

The principal admonished the new graduates to protect and project the image of the college by being passionate and showing a high level of commitment to work wherever they found themselves.

He further urged them to be active among the alumni and to help the alumni to move from its current state of a WhatsApp platform association to a more serious and vibrant one, as the college was yet to feel the presence of the alumni association.