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| NCTE Executive Secretary Dr George Afeti |
“First, we need to recognise and accept the fact that colleges of education are not universities, and certainly they are not polytechnics,” the Executive Secretary of the NCTE , Dr George Afeti said.
He was speaking on the topic: “Managing Colleges of Education as tertiary institutions: The roles of stakeholders”, at the 55th annual conference and workshop of Principals of Colleges of Education (PRINCOF) at Koforidua in the Eastern Region.
Dr Afeti, who is also the Executive Secretary of the National Inspectorate Board (NIB) and Chief Inspector of Schools, said the elevation of the teacher training colleges to the status of tertiary institutions and their being re-christened colleges of education imposed on stakeholders in the educational sector, new roles and a paradigm shift in the operations of the upgraded institutions.
“The effective management and growth of the colleges of education as tertiary institutions must begin with a proper understanding and appreciation of their primary mandate as producers of quality teachers for the school system,” he said.
He noted that like the polytechnics and the universities, the colleges of education have different but equally important mandate.
Dr Afeti said so far as their contribution to national development was concerned, the universities were not better than the polytechnics or the colleges of education.
“They are different and their roles are different but complementary to those of other tertiary institutions,” he said.
The executive secretary noted that differentiation in tertiary education was necessary in order for the different types of tertiary institutions to produce, in a cost-effective manner, the different categories of workers a country needed to drive its development agenda.
The Deputy Minister of Education in charge of Tertiary Education, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who represented the sector minister said the upgrading of the teacher training colleges to tertiary status was a move to produce the best, qualified teachers in order to drive education in the right direction.
He indicated that to attain the target of 95 per cent of trained teachers at all levels by 2015, the Ghana Partnership for Education Grant would be used to train at least 5,000 teachers in the Untrained Teachers Diploma in Basic Education (UTDBE) qualification.
He also said the government, together with its donor partners, would support 57 deprived districts and basic schools in terms of planning, monitoring and delivery of basic education services in deprived districts.
Mr Ablakwa added that it was the desire of the government to expand intake for the 2013 / 2014 academic year for colleges of education and in that direction, the Ministry of Education has directed the NCTE to request all principals to indicate their available spaces for further action.
He said for the 2013/2014 academic year, fresh students were expected to access the Students Loan Trust Fund, just as their colleagues in other tertiary institutions, instead of being given the usual allowances. He, however, allayed the fears of colleges of education and said that the government would continue to bear the cost of feeding all students in their institutions.
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