Colleges of Education hit by high staff turnover
Dr Sulemana Iddrisu, Principal of the Tamale College of Education (TACE) has lamented about the high staff turnover at the Colleges of Education.
He predicted that the situation, if not arrested, would have dire consequences for teacher preparation and training in the country.
He spoke about the staff turnover rate at the TACE saying, “From August 2020 to date, 15 staff exited the College. Four out of this figure retired whilst 11 faculty members voluntarily resigned to join the traditional universities.”
He added that; “Many more have laced their boots and getting ready to move out at the slightest offer from the universities.”
Dr Iddrisu stated this during the eighth congregation of TACE held in Tamale on Saturday to award Diploma in Education (DBE) certificates to students, who merited them.
A total of 1,067 graduands comprising 563 and 504 for the 2019 and 2020 cohorts respectively, who successfully completed their studies at the College, were presented with DBE certificates.
Special awards were also presented to graduands, who distinguished themselves during the period.
The 2019 cohort recorded seven First Class Honours whilst the 2020 cohort recorded 14 First Class Honours.
Dr Iddrisu believed that the high staff attrition rate facing the Colleges of Education was being influenced by the search for better conditions of service, saying: “This one-way movement of staff from the Colleges of Education can be minimised if the working conditions of staff at the Colleges are improved.”
He, therefore, appealed to the Ministry of Education to urgently expedite action on the implementation of agreements reached on the conditions of service of staff of Colleges of Education as a first step in addressing the situation.
He emphasised that the; “Ministry of Education should also take a critical look at improving the conditions of service of staff at our Colleges. Anything short of this will have dire consequences for teacher preparation and training in Ghana.”
He further appealed to the government to grant financial and technical clearance to Principals of Colleges of Education to recruit staff for their operations.
Dr Iddrisu also spoke about staff development at the College saying, “Our College has a vigorous staff development programme. To this end, 23 staff comprising six non-teaching staff and 17 teaching staff are being supported on their studies. Out of the 17, 10 faculty members are pursuing various PhD programmes within and outside Ghana. The other seven members are on various MPhil programmes.”
He touched on infrastructure and said the College was using its internally generated funds (IGF) to construct two-storey blocks, which would be ready for use by October, this year, to accommodate additional 200 female students.
He advised the graduands to accept postings to any part of the country, adding “And when you do, ensure that you positively influence the lives of the children entrusted under your care.”
Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, Minister for Education, whose speech was read on his behalf, called on Colleges of Education to explore public-private partnerships as well as use their IGFs to improve their infrastructure facilities.
Alhaji Shani Alhassan Saibu, Northern Regional Minister spoke against youth violence and urged the graduands to serve as ambassadors of peace in the communities to help in the development of the country.
Source: GNA