The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has inaugurated the governing councils of 22 colleges of education across the country, charging them to provide strong leadership that will enhance quality teacher training and promote good governance.
The institutions included Abetifi Presbyterian College of Education, Accra College of Education, Ada College of Education, Akrokerri College of Education, Berekum College of Education, Bia Lamplighter College of Education, Evangelical Presbyterian College of Education, Komenda College of Education, Mampong Technical College and the Methodist College of Education.
The rest are the Mount Mary College of Education, Offinso College of Education, Presbyterian College of Education, SDA College of Education (Agona Ashanti), St. Joseph College of Education, St. Vincent College of Education, St. Ambrose College of Education, St. Monica’s College of Education, St. Teresa’s College of Education, Tumu College of Education, Wesley College of Education, and the Chartered Institute of Taxation.
At the inauguration ceremony in Accra yesterday, Mr Iddrisu, who is also the Member of Parliament for Tamale South, said the move formed part of the government’s commitment to strengthen leadership and accountability in the colleges to drive its education reform agenda.
Collaboratively
He urged members of the council to work collaboratively with management and regulatory bodies to ensure sound administration, efficient use of resources and improved academic outcomes.
The members of the governing councils of the colleges of education
“You shape policy decisions and drive the government’s development agenda in education. Your role is critical to ensuring that our teacher training institutions deliver quality and equitable education for the nation,” he said.
The minister further cautioned the newly inaugurated councils against interfering in the day-to-day management of their institutions, reminding them that their role was policy and oversight, not administration.
He also called for adherence to governance structures, saying that the Ghana Education Service and the Tertiary Education Commission must be allowed to function effectively without undue ministerial interference.
Teachers
Mr Iddrisu said teacher education remained a top priority of the government, adding that teacher capacity building, welfare and professional development were essential to achieving excellence at the basic and secondary levels.
He said the government, through the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), had awarded contracts for the construction of 27,300-capacity hostel facilities for the colleges of education to address infrastructure deficits.
“I am aware that many of you lack basic logistics and even vehicles for administrative work, but we will do better in the coming days,” he said.
He further said a three-bedroom housing project dedicated to teachers would commence in 2026 under the Teacher Diploma Initiative, with funding support from the Kumul Fund.
“Our goal is that teachers can own decent accommodation by the time they retire. Government will provide counterpart funding to make this possible,” he said.
Mr Iddrisu also said the payment of book and research allowances for teachers and lecturers had been done as the government had doubled its allocation this year in recognition of their contribution to national development.
