Gambaga (NE/R)-Ghana, Sep. 3, GNA – The Gambaga College of Education in the East Mamprusi District of the North East Region has graduated its first batch of students of the four-year Bachelor of Education (B.ED) Programme at its third congregation.
The college graduated a total of 241 trained teachers in two Bachelor of Education degree programmes, including Primary Education and Junior High school Education.
The graduates consist of 87 females and 154 males.
Speaking at the congregation at Gambaga, Dr Abdallah Salifu, the Vice Principal of the college, said there had been a slight improvement in the academic performance of students as compared to the last graduation, indicating that it has recorded three first-class graduates against one first-class at the last graduation.
According to him, “the graduating class defied the challenges of remote teaching and threats of the pandemic to make sure academic work went on, and the results of the resilience put up by our gallant students and convocation are what we are celebrating today.”
Dr Salifu said as stakeholders, they would continue to train and deploy competent professionals to teach in basic schools.
He, however, bemoaned the recent impasse between the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) and the government, a situation that had affected teaching and learning greatly and would likely disrupt the academic calendar.
The Vice Principal called on the two parties to resolve their differences and appealed to the government to convert the College into a fully-fledged university.
This, he said, “would bring higher education to the doorsteps of the people of the North East and the teaming youth graduating from the laudable Free Senior High Education Policy.”
Mr Dan D. Kolbilla, the Governing Council Chairman of the College, said GETfund projects at the college’s New site, including a 300-bed capacity hostel, an administration block, and other multipurpose blocks that were scheduled to be completed in September 2023, had stalled.
This, he noted, was a major setback for the school, and there was the need for the projects to be reevaluated and re-awarded to a new contractor to ensure their completion in time to help address the infrastructure deficit.
Mr Yidana Zakaria, the North East Regional Minister, congratulated the graduates and urged them not to relent in their efforts but work hard towards the betterment of the country.
He said the concerns of the College raised were apt and would be put before the authorities for action, adding that the government was committed to improving infrastructural development of the College to enhance teaching and learning.
He also appealed to members of the College of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) to go back to the classroom while the negotiation with the government continued to avert significant interruption in academic work.
