The Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, has appealed to managers of the Colleges of Education (CoE) to remain focus and support the government in delivering on its educational agenda for the transformation of the country.
He said the need to stay focused on the education transformation agenda had become imperative now more than ever because a lot was happening at the education front despite the current economic challenges the country was facing.
“Despite the current economic challenges, a lot is happening and government is living up to its responsibilities. Just yesterday Buffer Stock was here to take a cheque of GH¢ 51million in order to supply food to our schools and today, they will be here to take another GH¢50 million to pay their suppliers.
In addition, government is improving infrastructure as well as building new Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) schools,” Dr Adutwum said this at the inauguration of the governing councils for the Accra and Wesley Colleges of Education in Accra yesterday.
The Wesley College of Education, has Most Reverend Paul Kwabena Boafo as council chair with Dr Nana Amissah, Mr Ohene Amankwah-Gyan, Ms Hanna Pokuah Saahene, Mr Kennedy Ameyaw Baah and Mr Emmanuel K. Acheampong.
The rest are Mr Anthony Boateng, Mr James Obeng, Mr Michael Owusu, Mr Christopher Agyemang and Mr Joseph Yaw Adu.
For the Accra College of Education, Reverend Dr D.S. Mensah Torto is the chairman with Dr Francis Gyedu, Dr Nancy M. Baffour Gyamfi, Professor Perpetua Sekyiwa Dadzie, Dr Samuel A. Atintono and Mr HayfordSiaw members.
The rest are Madam Monica Ankrah, Dr Christian Addai-Poku, Mr Samuel Douglas Quansah and Professor Christopher A. Okpoti.
Dr Adutwum said the new sense of direction for education was to train not only hands-on students but critical thinkers who would think through and help solve the country’s problems.
He noted that a lot was being done in the area of Technical Vocational Educational Training (TVET).
Dr Adutwum said with the government considering making some of the colleges of education stand on their own, they would have to position themselves to attract more students into their colleges.
On his part, Rev. Boafo thanked the President for appointing them to serve on the council.
He said as colleges of education they were amenable to change and would work to ensure that the government’s change and transformation agenda was attached.
BY CLIFF EKUFUL