New bill to revise Colleges of Education Act in the offing
The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has announced that the government will this year introduce a new bill in Parliament to revise the Colleges of Education Act, 2012 ACT 847 to give them full legal backing to function effectively as degree-awarding institutions.
“I am giving you the assurance that the government will this year, before the end of 2025, introduce a new bill in Parliament to revise ACT 847 to give full legal backing to the Colleges of Education’s new status.
“We believe this will give you the needed legal muscle to function effectively as Ghana Colleges of Education now awarding degrees and not under the supervision of GES,” Mr Iddrisu said when he met the National Conference of Principals of Colleges of Education (PRINCOF) in Accra.
Meeting
In all, 47 principals of the Colleges of Education were present at the meeting.
The meeting offered them an opportunity to brief the sector minister on the developments in the colleges of education and understand the government’s policy direction for the colleges of education.
They also proposed recommendations to help improve teacher education for better learning outcomes.
Reforms
Mr Iddrisu also assured the principals that in the coming days, per their existing enactments, the government would constitute the governing councils of the Colleges of Education for effective management of the colleges.
The minister further promised that the government would also give each of the colleges of education at least one PhD sponsorship to support the upgrade of faculty.
The minister said he would work together with all stakeholders to improve working conditions, adding, “We’ll work to ensure your conditions of service are addressed promptly”.
Additionally, Mr Iddrisu promised to liaise with GETFund to complete at least 10 abandoned projects in the colleges.
Grievances
The National President of PRINCOF, Prof. Samuel Awinkene Atintono, called on the government to increase the monthly teacher trainee allowance.
He said the current allowance was inadequate, especially when only GH¢8 a day was allocated for feeding each student.
“The current amount doesn’t meet the basic needs of trainees, especially their feeding.
We are urging the government to urgently review it,” he stated.
Prof. Atintono also proposed to the government to consider stopping feeding students altogether and instead, increase the allowance to allow trainees to manage their own feeding.
“It’s time we rethink the feeding system in the colleges. Allow the students to manage their own meals with a more reasonable allowance,” he added.
In a related development, the principals also called on the government to fast-track the finalisation of their conditions of service, adding, “We deserve fair conditions that reflect our contribution to teacher training in this country”.
The principals further appealed for the provision of official vehicles and increased support for infrastructure development.
