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The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has presented 20 brand new twin-turbo engine Toyota Prado vehicles to selected Colleges of Education.
The gesture, an initiative of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), with the support of the Ghana education Trust Fund (GETFund), is to assist the principals in their effective monitoring and supervision role.
The beneficiary colleges included the Accra College of Education, Ada College of Education, Akatsi College of Education, Al-Faruq College of Education, Wenchi; Bagaba College of Education, Tamale; Berekum College of Education and Enchi College of Education.
Others were the Foso College of Education, Assin Foso; Holy Child College of Education, Takoradi; Jasikan College of Education; Nusrat Jahan Ahmadiyya College of Education, Wa; Offinso College of Education; OLA College of Education, Cape Coast; Presbyterian Women’s College of Education, Aburi; SDA College of Education, Asokore Koforidua; and the St John Bosco College of Education, Navrongo.
The rest were St Vincent College of Education, Yendi; Tamale College of Education; Tumu College of Education; Wesley College of Education, Kumasi, and the Technical University Teachers Association of Ghana (TUTAG).
Mr Iddrisu said ideally, he should have been handing over 46 keys, “but for want of resources or for inadequacy of it”.
He advised the beneficiary institutions about good maintenance.
“For us, it is not just about your mobility; it's about the efficiency and effectiveness of what you do, and this is to demonstrate the government’s commitment to improving the welfare of teachers and in particular investing in teacher education.
“As I have always noted, a good student is a function of a good teacher,” the minister stated.
Mr Iddrisu recognised that eight of the beneficiary institutions were mission-based schools, explaining that it reflected a stronger bond between the church and the state.
“We note with satisfaction the contribution of the church to the provision of equitable quality education. So, you should know that about eight of the mission colleges of education would also benefit from this,” he stated.
In an acceptance statement, the Council Chair of Aburi-based Presbyterian Women’s College, Professor Olivia Kwapong, described the gesture as a “Christmas gift”, and prayed that “our Lord Jesus Christ, being a helper, will help us manage this resource well”.
The President of the Conference of Principals of Colleges of Education, Ghana, Prof. Samuel A. Atintono, in a statement, said the gesture was not only a demonstration of the government's commitment to improving the working conditions of educational leaders, but also a clear recognition of the critical role colleges of education played in shaping the future of teacher education in Ghana.
“These vehicles will significantly enhance our capacity for supervision, outreach, collaboration, and effective administration across our campuses and partner schools,” he said, and gave the assurance that the vehicles would be used responsibly and purposefully to advance the goals of teacher education, support ongoing reforms and ultimately improve learning outcomes in schools.
Welcoming the guests, the Council Chairman of GTEC, Professor Mahama Duweijua, urged the principals “to take note and recognise the strategic actions taken by the Director-General of the GTEC to acquire these things”.
“Some of your money was kept aside purposely for this”,. he added.
Prof. Duweijua said the vehicles were not just for movement, adding that it was a significant thing to contribute towards the provision of quality education for the colleges of education.
