More teachers to be trained

The Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service (GES) has identified 8,000 untrained teachers for enrolment under the Untrained Teachers Diploma in Basic Education (UTDBE) programme.

Mrs Elizabeth Amoah-Tetteh, Deputy Minister of Education, in charge of Pre-tertiary, who made this known said since the inception of the programme in 2004 a total of15, 793 teachers have been trained nationwide.

Mrs Amoah-Tetteh announced this at the 3rd cohort graduation of teachers trained under the UTDBE programme at the OLA Training College in Cape Coast.

In all 5,764 trainees from the Central, Western and Eastern regions graduated with diploma in basic education after their four years training.

She said under the first phase 4,464 teachers  from the three Northern regions and the Afram plains districts  graduated in 2010 whilst Ashanti and Brong- Ahafo regions trained 5,565 under the second phase, and the  Central, Western an d  Eastern regions training 5,764 teachers in the third phase.

She said the deprived districts in the country would be given top priority in the selection of untrained teachers for enrolment under the programme.

Mrs Amoah-Tetteh said the GES had been directed to initiate actions for the programme to take off this year, adding that district directors are to be personally involved in the selection process to ensure that the right people are selected.

She said the distance education for teacher trainees was aimed at improving upon their classroom practice and children’s learning processes.

She said the major challenge of the programme was teacher absenteeism and misuse of teacher/pupils contact hours.

Mrs Amoah-Tetteh urged the graduates to uphold the values of the teaching profession and be good role models to the youth in their communities.

Mrs Ama Benyiwa-Doe Central Regional Minister commended the GES and University of Cape Coast (UCC) and the various training colleges for implementing the programme, stressing that it would go a long way to train more qualified teachers to handle pupils.

She said it would also help to improve upon the falling standard of education.

Source: GNA