From Ernest Best Anane
Christ the Teacher College of Education, situated at Appeadu near Kumasi, has held its first matriculation ceremony, with the hope of being transformed into a University College in the very near future.
Very Rev. Fr. Dr. Louis K. Tuffuor, Principal of the College, disclosed that the vision of the founders is to transform the institute into a University College.
“Our goal is to become an excellent teacher-training college that focuses on the basics of contemporary education,” the Principal announced at the first matriculation ceremony.
He stressed the need for quality education delivery, especially, in the rural areas, and said it is the responsibility of the government to educate her citizens to create resources, in order to assist all qualified teachers, whether public or private-trained, to be absorbed into the Ghana Education Service.
According to him, teachers, like any other professionals – like doctors and nurses – may not readily want to accept postings to rural areas for fear of not having amenities such as accommodation, water, electricity and health care.
He said the government must provide assistance to ensure that the student-teachers are trained to commit themselves to providing services in the rural areas upon graduation.
The Very Rev. Fr. Dr. Tuffuor charged the students to embrace all the disciplines in the College, since they were designed to build them and form them holistically in body, mind and spirit and to become better people in life, better skilled and future professional teachers for Mother Ghana.
He encouraged them to pay attention to the method of teaching and guidance as the name they bear, Christ the Teacher, saying their academic and moral teachings will make them effective in all they do, and avoid immorality.
This, he said, is not a place for filtration, rather, it is a place for studies, and for that matter, they should desist from the use of illicit drugs like cocaine and marijuana, which, he observed, could destroy their lives or kill them.
The Principal also frowned on cheating at examinations, and encouraged them to study hard to pass their exams, to avoid being placed under probation, repeated, or withdrawn entirely.