The announcement by the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, to revise the Colleges of Education Act, 2012 (Act 847) and grant Colleges of Education (CoEs) full autonomy as degree-awarding institutions has sparked renewed hope for Ghana’s teacher education system.
Autonomy signals a recognition of the strategic role that these colleges play in shaping the nation’s human capital and highlights the government’s commitment to elevating teacher education to global standards.
However, the conversation on autonomy must be rooted in evidence and careful planning if it is to achieve lasting impact.
Educational reforms
Ghana’s recent educational reforms illustrate a pattern of well-intentioned policies that often struggle during implementation due to politicisation, infrastructural limitations, and resource gaps.
It has been almost seven years since the Colleges of Education were paired with public universities to groom them while they ran degree programmes.
During this period, Transforming Teaching, Education & Learning (T-TEL), together with the National Teaching Council (NTC) and the Ghana Education Service (GES), has provided training and resources for the smooth implementation of the four-year Bachelor of Education programme in Early Grade, Primary, and Junior High School Education.
The aim was to strengthen teacher preparation with a practice-based and research-driven curriculum that meets the needs of today’s learners.
Surveys
International bodies also stress this priority: for instance, the OECD highlights in its Teaching and Learning International Survey that high-quality teacher training is fundamental to student performance.
Similarly, the World Bank stresses that well-prepared teachers are central to improving learning outcomes, while UNESCO links strong teacher education to achieving Sustainable Development Goal Four on inclusive, quality education.
Nonetheless, research into this implementation reveals worrying gaps which need to be addressed before autonomy is granted.
My study into the fidelity of English Language curriculum delivery in the new B.Ed. Programme found that many colleges lacked adequate teaching resources and infrastructure.
Other studies, such as Dorsah, Abukari, Tindan and Akanzire (2023), also report that pre-service teachers face challenges during supported teaching placements due to absent mentors, inadequate guidance, and poor resourcing in partner schools.
Likewise, Buabeng, Ntow and Otami (2020) point to the limited capacity of some college tutors, many of whom lack advanced research-based training and struggle to deliver degree-level content effectively.
Mismatch
These findings highlight a mismatch between ambitious reform and systemic readiness.
Granting autonomy without addressing such issues risks widening disparities between well-resourced and struggling colleges.
Autonomy should not simply be a legal amendment; it requires building institutional capacity to manage academic standards, governance systems, and accountability.
Colleges must be equipped not only to award degrees, but to deliver quality education that truly transforms classroom practice.
International lessons offer important caution. Globally, upgrading teacher training institutions to universities has often raised expectations without matching investment.
In several contexts, college tutors faced heavier workloads, balancing research demands with teaching, but without adequate support systems.
Ghana risks replicating these challenges if autonomy is rushed without ensuring faculty development, mentorship structures, and sustainable funding.
Need for consistent funding
The Education Minister’s pledge to support PhD training for CoE staff is laudable, but this alone is not enough.
Ghana must ensure consistent funding, stronger research infrastructure, and sustained mentorship links with the public universities that have so far served as “parent institutions.”
A phased approach is essential: piloting autonomy in a select group of better-resourced colleges will allow policymakers to gather lessons, refine governance models, and ensure minimum standards before a nationwide rollout.
Not all colleges are ready for full autonomy, and pretending otherwise could undermine the reform itself.
The decision to grant autonomy to Colleges of Education is bold and necessary, but boldness must be matched with preparation.
As Buabeng, Owusu and Ntow’s research in 2014 remind us, Ghanaian learners’ struggles in international assessments are often linked to teacher quality.
Legislation alone cannot transform teacher education; transformation comes from investment in people, infrastructure, and systems.
By grounding this reform in evidence and adopting a deliberate, phased approach, Ghana can position its colleges of education not just as degree-awarding institutions, but as global leaders in teacher preparation.
The writer is a PhD Student at the University of Basel, Switzerland
Email: anitasackyi@gmail.com
