Dignitaries pose with IUCG authority at the end of the programme
The Islamic University College Ghana (IUCG) has introduced two new programmes- Bachelor of Education (B. Ed) and Diploma in Early Childhood Education under its newly created Faculty of Education.
The programmes are affiliated to the University of Education Winneba and have been accredited by the National Accreditation Board.
In a speech read on his behalf at the launch of the programmes, Professor Samuel commended the IUCG for taking the time to introduce the Early Childhood in Education programme. He observed that quality early childhood education has a great impact on the life chance of every child and that its introduction by IUCG will contribute to the delivery of quality early childhood education in Ghana.
“You would recognize that by investing in these children today, you are building the society we hope to see in our future”, he added.
The programmes are aimed at training more teachers in order to help address the shortage of teachers and to make up – to some extent – the shortfall of teachers in basic schools in Ghana.
In his welcome address, the president of IUCG observed that poverty levels in the Muslim communities in Ghana is high and to uproot such a problem it needs to be tackled from the grassroots hence the introduction of programmes in Early Childhood Education.
On his part, Dr. Gamel Nasser, Vice-President Academic Affairs, recounted that in spite of the tortuous journey of scavenging for a very limited number of qualified personnel with the minimum qualification to lecture these courses, as part of meeting NAB requirement, it was surmounted through determination. He urged lecturers in the Department of Education and Psychology to work hard to ensure that the new department “blossoms into one of the most vibrant department not only in the Islamic University College, but also in the tertiary education system in Ghana.”
The programmes are targeted at graduates of senior high schools (SHSs), holders of Certificate ‘A’ (Post-Secondary or Post-Middle School), holders of Diploma in Early Childhood Education (ECE) and Non-professional Teachers.
Present at the event were Mrs. Alice Lamptey (Vice-President, Dominion University College), Chief Imoro Baba Issah, (Spokesperson, Council of Zongo Chiefs), Chief Issah Munkaila (Dagomba Chief, Madina), among others.