Methodist College of Education holds 4th graduation

The Methodist College of Education at Akyem Asene-Aboabo, Oda, has held its fourth graduation at Oda during which 206 students who pursued Bachelor of Education in both primary and junior high school programmes were presented with certificates.

In all 24 graduating students obtained first-class honours with Maxwell Peprah emerging as the overall best student. He was presented with a laptop computer, a citation and a cheque for GH₵500 as his award.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Principal of the college, Very Rev. Solomon Kwame Gyamerah, was proud of the competence demonstrated by the staff, largely through the numerous workshops organised by management and the mentoring institution, the University of Education, Winneba.

He stressed that the workshops had helped sharpen tutors' pedagogical skills as well as improved the efficiency of non-academic staff in the college.

"These competencies - critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration and digital literacy, are essential for students to become global citizens who can adapt to an ever-changing world," he stated.

Teachers, he said, were, therefore, to be agents that would inspire their students to think critically, solve complex problems and collaborate across cultures and borders, adding that they must help students develop not only academically, but also socially, emotionally, ensuring they were prepared for the opportunities and challenges ahead.

Critical function

The principal said the licensure examination for teacher education served as a critical function, as it was not merely an assessment, but was a mark of quality, a validation of the teacher's preparedness to enter the classroom and guide students towards excellence.

"The essence of the licensure examination is to ensure that those who meet the highest standards of professionalism, knowledge and pedagogical skill are entrusted with the future of our children," he stressed.

Very Rev. Gyamerah told the graduating students that as they stepped into their roles as professional educators, they must remember that teaching was both an art and a science, which required patience, empathy, and a deep understanding of the diverse needs of their students, adding, "Your success will not only be measured by academic outcomes but by the holistic development of the children under your care".

The principal enumerated many challenges of the institution, including inadequate internally generated funds, inadequate staff accommodation, the lack of an auditorium and administration block, the lack of a college bus for monitoring and supervision, as well as a clinic to attend to emergency health situations.

A Professor of Language in the Department of Basic Education at the University of Education Winneba, who was the guest speaker, Prof. Emma Sarah Eshun, said the four-year B.Ed programme came into existence to reposition colleges of education as institutions of academic excellence, where the focus was to ensure total transformation among trainers and trainees, the classrooms and education in general.

She said it was to ensure that today's teacher would come out well-equipped to demonstrate 21st-century skills that met global standards.

The Chairman of the Governing Council of the College, Rt. Rev. Isaac Kwame Boateng, said the college had a long and proud history of producing quality educators who had made significant contributions to the development of the nation.