GNAPC petition National Education Service Council

Accra, Oct. 14, GNA - The Ghana National Association of Private Teacher Training Colleges (GNAPTC) has petitioned the National Education Service Council to clear the air on the legality and status of Private Teacher Training Colleges.

A memorandum signed by Mr Glivey Segbedzi, Interim Chairman of the Association, called for a reversal of a publication in the "Daily Graphic" of July 25, which sought to create the impression that Private Teacher Training Colleges were operating illegally.

It said members of the Association earlier on July 17, 2003 met with the Minister of Education and the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education during which the Director of Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Director of Teacher Education were directed to provide members of the Association with guidelines for them to operate.

The petition traced the source of the offending publication to circular number TT/K/582/11/14 dated September 15 from the Teacher Education Directorate, which sought to undermine the authority of the Minister of Education and the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education.

The Association said it had since complied with the guidelines that GES gave but for no apparent reason the Teacher Education Directorate had refused to carry out inspection to ascertain whether they have met the standards.

The petition said asking the Private Teacher Training Colleges to seek accreditation from the National Accreditation Board was diversionary since Training Colleges as they now existed were not regarded as tertiary institutions, where the Board operated by law. The Association said it could not fathom whose interest the Teacher Education Directorate was serving since the Government was not able to provide adequate number of teachers for the classrooms.

It said the Private Sector's contribution to the production of teachers had been going on smoothly and students from the colleges had been passing the examinations conducted by the University of Cape Coast.

When the Ghana News Agency contacted the Director of Teacher Education, Mrs Margaret Benneh, she said the Council would soon comment on the petition.