Colleges of Education to witness infrastructural projects soon – GETFund
All the 48 Colleges of Education across the country will soon witness massive infrastructural projects to befit their upgraded tertiary status and enhance their enrollment capacity.
The GETFund will undertake the project with a $1.5billIion loan it secured through the Ministry of Education, which would also cover all other educational institutions, from the basic to other tertiary institutions.
Mr. Richard Ampofo Boadu, the GETFund Administrator in a message read on his behalf by his Deputy, Mr. Joseph Denteh, said the scheme involves completion of all outstanding projects and several new ones right from the Basic level.
It was during the 12th Congregation of the Ada College of Education (ADACOE), at the weekend at Ada Foah, where a total of 387 students, comprising 313 regular and 74 Sandwich, graduated with Diploma Certificates issued by the University of Cape Coast (UCC), with seven students attaining First Class.
“Our Colleges of Education will soon witness a historic and unprecedented infrastructural intervention plan in which all other educational institutions, from the Basic to the Tertiary are benefiting under the GETFund with a $1.5 billion loan it secured through the Ministry of Education,” Mr. Boadu said.
Mr. Boadu noted that with the Free Senior High School, the GETFund’s mandate of providing infrastructure and other facility supports the education sector to facilitate national development, had become more critical.
He said soon, huge numbers of the Free SHS graduates will be rushing to the tertiary institutions including the Colleges of Education for enrollments, adding, Government was therefore poised to set the institutions ready for the expected rise in enrollments.
Mr. Boadu promised that the challenges facing ADACOE, including renovation of Vice Principal’s office, staff common room, a two storey and a six unit classroom block, started in 2006, shall be tackled.
Commending the various stakeholders for moving ADACOE that far, he reiterated the teacher’s central role in the country’s educational reform and assured the graduates they will be tooled to excel in the field as agents of change.
Mr. Boadu, commending the graduates for the high performance, with some of the seven First Class gainers having nine As, told them to grasp the current world ICT trends, adapt to the digitized environment, be moral agents and exemplary to their pupils and society, stand distinguished among other professions and make the Diploma Certificate received their foundation stone.
Mr. Cephas Kwasi Bodakpui, the College Principal, put the college’s current student population at 966, including the 304 level 100 first batch of four-year Bachelor of Education Degree Programme students enrolled.
He said under Government’s Transforming Teacher Education and Learning (T-TEL) scheme, series of programmes were held to strengthen staff towards full tertiary status, while some academic and non-academic staff were undergoing courses in universities to upgrade their status.
Mr. Bodakpui, thanking the GETFund and alumni for all their supports, said the College through its Internally Generated Fund (IGF), built an 80-bed capacity additional female dormitory, another one also ongoing for the males and acquired additional 100 pieces of classroom furniture.
He said the college had expanded her practice schools to more schools in Ada East and West and South and North Tongu Districts.
Mr. Bodakpui listed inadequate staff accommodation and discipline challenges on campus, poor internal roads, unbefitting auditorium for gatherings, lack of modern lecture theatres and lack well resourced Science Laboratories for new programmes and no stand-by power source as challenges of the institution.
Mr. Nimako Clinton Appiah, overall best graduate, joined by other six First Class achievers as well as Miss Kyeiwa Portia Owusu, overall best female graduate with Second Class Upper Division, lamented the demand that new teachers undergo National Service and then a licentia examination to teach.
Source: GNA