Gov’t to absorb private Colleges of Education – Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has announced that the government would soon absorb the only five private University Colleges of Education into public institutions.

He said he had also authorized the Ghana Education Trust Fund to prioritise the development of infrastructure in all the Colleges of Education throughout the country to enable them to admit more trainees.

President Mahama announced this when members of the National Conference of Principals of Colleges of Education called on him at the Flagstaff House, Kanda.

The Principals were at the Presidency first to congratulate him for winning the 2012 Presidential election, and to present their challenges to the Government for redress.

President Mahama, who did not mention the schools, said the absorption of the private colleges of education would offer them the opportunity for the government to expand their infrastructural facilities as stipulated in government agenda for all public universities.

He said it would also ensure uniformity and equity in the disbursement of national resources to the Colleges.

The President said the Colleges were important institutions that could help increase the training of more teachers and ultimately eliminate the use of pupil teachers in the basic schools.

While assuring the Colleges of increased infrastructural development and quality learning material, President Mahama also promised to factor in the provision of pick-up vehicles and buses for the Colleges to effectively manage the affairs of their institutions.

On the delays and abandonment of projects on the Campuses, President Mahama said the government would scrutinise the procurement procedures to ensure that only competent contractors were awarded building projects.

The Reverend Sister Elizabeth Amoako-Arhen, the President of the National Conference of Principals of Colleges of Education, appealed to President Mahama to intervene to ensure that feeding grants for the various colleges were released promptly to avoid the perennial struggles to feed the students.

She appealed to President Mahama to also lift the ban on employment to enable them to employ key staff like Registrars, Procurement, Auditors, among others, to enable them to work effectively.

She commended President Mahama for the passage of the Colleges of Education Bill into law, Act 847, and expressed the hope that they would serve as the floodgate to the expansion of infrastructure.