From Samuel Agbewode
A Council Member of the Amedzofe College of Education and a former Lecturer at the University of Cape Coast, Prof. Francis Amedahe, has observed that quality education in the country could be achieved only when quality teachers were recruited at the 38 teacher training institutions.
Prof. Amedahe noted that since the country aspires to achieve quality education, it was important for the colleges of education to ensure that lecturers recruited to teach at the teacher training level were of the highest quality, because they formed the heart of education.
The Council Member, who was speaking at the congregation of 172 newly-trained teachers of the College at Amedzofe, disclosed that very soon, a first degree would no longer be a requirement for lecturers at the Colleges of Education as is being practiced.
Prof. Amedahe stressed that the minimum qualification for lecturers at the Colleges of Education would be Masters Degree, and asked the academic board of the Colleges of Education to be transparent in the recruitment process of the academic staff, by advertising vacancies in the media.
He explained that the public advertisement would not only attract qualified applicants to teach at the colleges, but also ensure the quality of teacher training education, because the more qualified personnel were employed at the teacher training institutions, the better the products of the institutions would be able to meet the challenges of teaching at the basic level of education.
According to Prof. Amedahe, those lecturers at the Colleges of Education with first degrees and thinking of being promoted through long service should reconsider their position and further their education, which would enable them fit into the crop of lecturers who would be needed to train teachers for the nation.
He noted that education should not be seen as the government’s responsibility in the provision of the needed teaching and learning materials and infrastructure, but ought to be seen as a collective responsibility of all stakeholders, in order to contribute meaningfully towards quality education in the country.
The Principal of the Amedzofe College of Education, Rev. Sylvanus Kwasi Tettey, said the newly trained teachers had not only been equipped with the needed knowledge that would enable them to be effective in the teaching profession, but also with high moral values that would enable them stand the test of time.
Rev. Tettey noted that it was becoming clear that the government and the church could no longer finance education alone, and called on other stakeholders to contribute meaningfully to complement the effort.
The Principal also used the opportunity and advised the newly-trained teachers to take their chosen profession more seriously, to ensure that they put to practice the knowledge acquired to help in moulding the lives of the young ones to become responsible adults in future.
Rev. Tettey disclosed that a number of structures at the Amedzofe College of Education needed to be renovated and new infrastructure added to the existing ones, and mentioned that access to potable water was another challenge, as well as bungalows for teachers.
Nii Laryea Afotey Agbo, Volta Regional Minister, lauded the efforts of the Amedzofe College of Education to provide quality teachers for the nation, adding that the government was committed to providing the necessary resources to Colleges of Education to aid the quality training of teachers in the country.