Accredit private schools with trained teachers — Principal
The Komenda College of Education (KCE) has celebrated its 75th anniversary with a call on the government to accredit only private basic schools that have about 50 per cent of their teaching staff trained, certified and licensed.
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According to the KCE, that would ensure that teacher trainees who completed the Bachelor of Education Programmes from the colleges of education would be employed in such private institutions.
The Principal of the college, Very Rev. Dr Kwesi Nkum Wilson, who made the call, said it was clear that the number of private educational institutions was more than the government schools, especially in the urban areas and such schools would need trained teachers.
The anniversary was celebrated on the theme “Promoting sustainable national development: The contribution of Komenda College of Education in 75 years”.
The event was also used to inaugurate a new administrative block for the college.
Agric science
Dr Wilson also called for a review of the curriculum to make agricultural science a stand-alone subject.
He explained that while the college and others had hands-on and research training for its agriculture students, there was a challenge for these students as Agricultural science was not offered as a stand-alone course at the junior high school (JHS) level.
“If indeed agriculture is the backbone of the economy of Ghana, then we have to take a second look at our curriculum to salvage the future of agriculture in Ghana,” he stated.
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The principal further appealed to corporate Ghana to help refurbish the college’s science laboratories and the Art and Technical units.
Qualities
In her address, a Deputy Minister of Education, Gifty Twum Ampofo, urged colleges of education to equip trainee teachers with innovative ideals and qualities to help them adapt to global trends in teaching.
According to her, the many interventions made in the education sector would not yield fruits if teachers were not holistically equipped with skills to mould and nature young pupils to maximise potential.
She gave an assurance that the government would pay all the allowances of students of colleges of education and also improve the infrastructure of the colleges.
Contribution
The Central Regional Minister, Justina Marigold Assan, in a speech read on her behalf by the Municipal Chief Executive for Komenda Edina Eguafo Abrem, Solomon Appiah, commended the college for its immense contribution towards the training of teachers for the country’s basic level.
For his part, the Bishop of the Cape Coast Diocese of the Methodist Church, Rt. Rev. Richardson Andam, lauded the college for its immense contribution to Komenda and the country at large.
History
The Komenda College of Education was established on the premises of the barracks left by the Fleet Air of the British Navy after the Second World War.
It was leased through the efforts of one Abraham Brew Sam, and the then regent of the town, Nana Komeh Ababio, to the Methodist Church in 1947 to be used as a Methodist Teacher Training College.
On March 11, 1948, the first batch of 40 students were enrolled to begin a two-year Teachers Certificate “B” programme.
The Government of Ghana later renovated the buildings to make them more conducive for academic work.