Government should pass the Colleges of Education Bill into law – Bishop Darko

The Chairman of the Holy Child College of Education Council, the Most Reverend John Martin Darko, has appealed to the government to expedite the passage of the Colleges of Education Bill into law.

He said the passage of the bill into law would give a clear direction to the management of the various teacher training colleges in the country.

Most Reverend Darko, who is the Bishop of the Sekondi-Takoradi Catholic Diocese, made the appeal at the fourth Congregation of the Holy Child College of Education in Takoradi.

He noted that, the Education Act of 2008 (Act 778) provides that, the 38 public Teacher Training Colleges in the country are to be upgraded to the tertiary status and offer diploma certificates.

To this end, he said, the Colleges of Education Bill has been prepared about two years ago on the upgrading, but it has not been passed into an Act thereby putting the teacher training colleges in a state of dilemma and difficulty in their governance and management.

He, therefore, called for the necessary attention to be given to the bill in order for it to be passed into law.

The Council Chairman also reiterated the call for the missionary basic schools in the country to be handed over to the churches to manage whilst government provides funding.

“We believe that, the churches, which are noted to be efficient managers of schools, will provide better education delivery in their schools than we have now,” he said.

He commended the students for excelling in their three-year programme and urged them to aspire higher in the education ladder.

The Acting Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Madam Benedicta Naana Biney, charged the students to undertake research in view of their knowledge in Information and Communication Technology to mould and nurture the pupils that would be entrusted to their care.

“You need to equip the pupils that will be entrusted to your care with the competencies needed for the global economy which is driven by skills and
technology”, she said.

Madam Biney noted that the availability of Internet facility and acquisition of the rudiments of skills in the use of computers for the female teacher should facilitate research for information that would enhance the teaching and learning processes in the classroom.

She charged them to live above reproach and serve as role models to their pupils and the community in which they live.

Source: GNA