NOBODY IS READY TO DEFEND THE TEACHER TRAINEES IN GHANA
The current teacher trainees in the various colleges of education across the country are currently passing through hell in order to be awarded with Diploma In Basic Education certificate under the current government led by His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwah Akuffo Addo and nobody is seems to care about these trainees welfare, the stakeholders, religious leaders among others are all quiet.
I want to plead with government to remember that many well known institutions award the same diploma certs in just one year and maximum of two years, even some institutions award diploma certificates in months, they may claim our diploma (teacher training colleges) are professional courses but the fact is, it’s still diploma which the current government has embedded a whole lot of things which will take up to Four (4) years in order to be awarded with the Diploma In Basic Education certificate. The following are all the processes the Teacher Trainees pass through in order to be awarded with just a diploma in basic education certificate;
First Year First Semester Eight courses
1. Principles and Practice of education
2. Mathematics (number and basic Algebra)
3. English Language studies
4. Integrated science I
5. Environmental and social studies
6. Religious and moral education
7. Vocational skills
8. Ghanaian Language studies
First Year Second Semester ten(10) courses
1. Child and Adolescents development and learning
2. English with Elements of Literature
3. Mathematics ( Geometry and Trigonometry)
4. Integrated Science II
5. Environmental and social studies II
6. HIV/AIDS Education
7. Music and Dance
8. Ghanaian Language and Culture
9. Foundation of Physical education
10. Vocational studies
Second Year First Semester nine courses
1. Assessment in Education
2. Methods of teaching Mathematics
3. Methods of teaching science
4. Methods of teaching English in Basic Education
5. Electives
6. ICT
7. Methods of teaching HIV/AIDS
8. Environmental and social studies III
9. Principles and Methods of teaching in Basic schools
Second Year Second Semester Ten(10) courses
1. Integrated science studies
2. English studies
3. Socio- economic development in Ghana
4. Educating Individuals with special needs.
5. Research in Education
6. Further Algebra
7. Statistics and Probability
8. Electives
9. ICT
10. On- Campus teaching practice.
NB. For those offering General programmes but equivalent to other programmes
After all that, then off campus thus staying outside the college for one year mentorship, then come back to campus for two final papers on their various campuses
1. Guidance and counseling
2. Trends and Issues in Education.
As if that is not enough the NPP government said we are professional and then we must obtain Licence, each training has to register with an amount not less than Gh200.00 for three papers to write for the licence. The first one which took place in September 2018 and over 13,000 candidates failed, that was not enough, they also proposed the commencement of compulsory unplanned national services for this same claimed professional teachers which upon all their petition against it failed and they have to do it. This government will come to public platforms and talk as if attending Colleges of Education is a crime and none of the officials and other stakeholders are talking about it, I want to remind everyone that we gain admission to colleges of education with the minimum requirements of C6 in core subjects just in any other University requirements. Everyone is quite as if nothing is happening and all is well.
The Government and the Major stakeholders holders in the Country left the poor students in the various colleges of Education to suffer all alone in this hell. Because, none of these big men wards will ever attend colleges of education and to some families Teaching as profession is a crime to them.
Ghanaian children thus the Teacher Trainees are suffering, stand up and speak for us since all our noise and petitions are not heard by anyone. They should not also forget that these trainees are as well Ghanaian and can also vote as did in 2016 polls.
Currently these newly trained teachers are in a dilemma as to wether they would be posted, job assurance as known by Colleges of Education is dangling and our future is uncertain.
SPEAK FOR US, SPEAK FOR TEACHER TRAINEES IN GHANA THEY ARE ALSO GHANAIAN.
Politicians please leave Ghana education alone to move forward!!.
By a concerned trainee at
Jasikan College of Education.
GEORGE KUNCHAM
