We'll build 10 new Teacher Training Colleges - Mahama

President Mahama on Thursday announced that government would in its second turn establish 10 new Teachers Training Colleges throughout the country.

Their establishment, he said, would help train more teachers to bridge the perennial deficit of teachers in most public schools of the country.


President Mahama announced this when he launched the 2012 National Democratic Congress (NDC) Manifesto on the theme: “Advancing the Better Ghana Agenda at Ho.


The event was attended by Vice President Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, former President Jerry John Rawlings, Ministers of State, Members of Parliament, party executives from all the regions and districts, party supporters and sympathizers from all walks of life.


The Manifesto is categorized under four thematic areas namely, investing in the people, transparency and accountable governance, human resource development and acceleration in agriculture in the country.


The people who were all garbed in NDC paraphernalia sang and danced to well rehearsed party songs that were played at the Ho Regional Jubilee Park.

President Mahama said the solutions to the problem of education in Ghana was not about providing free Senior High School education, but through the empowerment and strengthening of structures at the basic levels, which were the bedrock of education.


To that end, President Mahama said, government would institute specialized training for Kindergarten teachers to provide quality education for the children to strengthen their learning skills to grow up to become responsible adults.


The President said government would review the tuition and feeding fees, increase the supply of exercise books, school uniform, and capitation grant to make parents comfortable to send their children to school.


He announced that government would put in place measures that would enhance the total elimination of school fees at the basic levels as enshrined in the 1992 constitution.


President Mahama said government would also strengthen measures to ensure the full implementation of the compulsory aspects of the free compulsory universal education to totally eradicate illiteracy in the coming years.

On Polytechnic education, President Mahama promised that government would gradually graduate them into technical degree awarding institutions to distinguish their degrees from the university degrees in other institutions.


He promised to increase the number of scholarships for needy children throughout the country to ensure that all needy and brilliant students were given the opportunity to advance in education, irrespective of their geographical location, ethnicity and religion.


He said the current educational trend in the country was unequal and his administration would ensure that the country experienced equal access to education at all levels.