Some of the graduands at the congregation
The Ministry of Education has directed the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) to work assiduously to bring the conditions of service of tutors of the various colleges of education to be closer with their colleagues at the university level.
The Deputy Director General of GTEC, Dr. Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai, who revealed this in an interview during the 13th Congregation of Holy Child College of Education in Takoradi on Saturday, said that notwithstanding their qualifications, tutors and faculty of the colleges of education are working towards awarding of degrees.
“As you are aware, the diploma certificate is fading out and so the minimum qualification to teach in the primary school level is first degree,” he said, adding “if that is what the tutors are expected to do in terms of training, then it means, they need to be put at the level where it falls in line with their inputs.”
He continued, “So to whom much is given, much is expected. So tutors, faculty and staff of teacher training colleges will have to work hard to be at par with their colleagues at the traditional universities in terms of training and research among others.”
Dr. Abdulai said “a time will come when if you don’t have the minimum qualification of training at the tertiary level which is PHD you might not be able to teach at the college level.”
He, however, explained that the initiative will not be immediate and that the commission will definitely support the colleges to be at where they are expected to be.
He said he preferred fresh discussions on whether or not students in the colleges of education should still be enjoying certain incentives such as allowances and free hostel facilities.
According to him, now that the colleges of education are working towards awarding degrees, their sponsorship from government should not be different from that of the traditional universities.
Speaking on the theme for the occasion which was “The Role of Quality Assurance in a Strengthened Tertiary Institution”, Prof. Emmanuel Kofi Gyimah, Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast said any tertiary institution that is not able to compete in the globalized world would lose its relevance.
Mr. Gyimah, who was the guest speaker, therefore stressed that there is the need for quality assurance to strengthen capacities of colleges of education.
Dr. Francis Hull Adams, Acting Principal of Holy Child College of Education noted that despite the disruption of normal classes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the year 2020 results are the best the college had attained in recent years.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi