The Minister of Education, Dr Matthew Opoku-Prempeh, has said all students from teacher training colleges will have to graduate with degrees with effect from 2019 as part of reforms to ensure quality of education in Ghana is enhanced.

He noted that the students seeking to go to any of the 46 teacher training colleges would have to apply through the universities.

Consequently, he said five selected public universities have developed curricula aligned to the National Teacher’s Standard (NTS) and National Teacher Education Curriculum Framework (NTECF), using the curriculum writing guide to ensure a smooth transition.

After completion of the degree program,graduates will spend a year dedicated to National Service placement, the minister further disclosed.

Dr Opoku Prempeh made this known yesterday in Accra when he took his turn at the Meet-the-Press series.

The meeting with the media was intended to highlight measures being put in place by the President Akufo-Addo government to improve the quality of teaching in the country.

Plans to export Ghanaian teachers

He said the government of Ghana has indicated that it is making plans to begin the exportation of Ghanaian professional teachers to three West African nations, namely: Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

He indicated that “Ghana stands at the crossroad of exporting some of our human talents,” disclosing that he was scheduled to hold a meeting with the Guinean Ambassador to Ghana on Friday November 23, 2018, to see how best some French teachers from Guinea could be imported to Ghana whilst some English teachers from the country are also exported to Guinea.

He said the move to swap teachers between Guinea and Ghana has become necessary considering the fact that Ghana does not have enough qualified French teachers to support the development of French education domestically.

The exportation of Ghanaian teachers to Sierra Leone and Liberia – two nations whose educational system have been ravaged by several years of civil wars – is to help with the promotion and delivery of quality education in both countries.

Reaction to GIJ/NAFTI/GIL merger

Reacting to the issue of consolidating three public tertiary institutions into a new university, to be known as the National Institute of Communication and Media Arts, he explained that although they are going to be three universities, they would award their own degrees, reiterating that steps will be taken to improve their facilities.