GBEWAA COLLEGE NEEDS ADMINISTRATION BOCK, WATER TANKS (PAGE 11, MAY 31, 2010)

THE Principal of Gbewaa College of Education in Pusiga in the Upper East Region, Pastor Luke Abugri, has appealed to the government to provide the college with an administration block, water tanks and buses and renovate staff bungalows.
The Principal mentioned inadequate water supply as one of the major problems confronting the school and said the staff, students and the surrounding communities all depended on one borehole.
Pastor Abugri made the call at the first congregation of the Gbewa College of Education at Pusiga. Two sets of graduates made up of over 800 students passed out and were presented with certificates.
The College, which was set up in 1953, has turned out about 8,000 teachers and other prominent workers who are currently serving in various sectors of the economy.
The Principal appealed to the government and the Ministry of Education to support the college to introduce French as a subject to enhance the teaching and learning of the subject in basic schools since the college was bordered on the north by Burkina Faso (Bittou) and on the east by Togo (Cinkansse).
He said his appeal was in line with the National Accreditation Board’s 2007 assessment and recommendations as a step towards strengthening the good relationship among Ghana, Burkina Faso and Togo.
The Principal expressed his appreciation to successive governments over the years in providing a library complex which was yet to be stocked, an on-going 400 capacity dormitory complex for students, and an auditorium as well as two large lecture halls with 200 sitting capacity which were all still under construction.
Pastor Abugri decried the number of students given to the college by Teacher Education Division and thus, appealed for higher numbers since the college could accommodate and train more than just 200 students per year.
He also appealed for the reintroduction of the Untrained-Teachers Diploma in Basic Education (UTDBE) programme since there were still more pupil-teachers in classrooms without basic training, especially, when the UTDBE performance showed that pupil-teachers could equally do better if given the chance.
A Deputy Minister of Education in charge of Pre-tertiary Education, Mrs Elizabeth Amoah Tetteh, who was the special guest of honour, said the government would soon review the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) Act to cover critical areas of education.
Those areas she said included scholarships, research, academic and residential facilities to enable education in Ghana to meet the current global standards.
The Deputy Minister of Education explained that with the review of the GETFund, the operations of the board would be broadened and decentralised.
She also announced that government was committed to designing educational programmes to provide unemployed graduates with entrepreneurial skills and employment opportunities.
According to her, government would soon undertake a comprehensive review of the curricular of all institutions in consultation with relevant organisations to ensure that the country’s educational system meets the demands of i
ndustries and labour market.