JAK! Give Teachers University Degrees

In line with the new educational reform that takes effect from September 2007, I take the position that teacher education should reflect the challenges that would confront teachers. Teacher training colleges should be degree-awarding institutions.

Since the presidency of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, each educational reform had come out with a special type of training for the Ghanaian teacher. Nkrumah started with the 40-day Emergency teacher training colleges that prepared the pupil-teacher for primary school education. Graduates from these institutions and others had to go back to college for a two-year Teachers’ Certificate “B” (Cert B) and later another two years for the Cert “A”. These certificates were called “post Bs”. Most of these teachers became head teachers while others occupied various positions in the Ghana Education Service. To meet the challenges of the middle school system, Nkrumah introduced the Cert A (4-year) and the Cert A (two-year post-secondary). University of Cape Coast (Capevass) was established in the early sixties for personnel to teach secondary schools and teacher training colleges. This educational system was in place until the introduction of the Junior Secondary School (JSS) and the Senior Secondary School (SSS) systems in the late eighties. In anticipation of these systems, the two-year Cert A (post-sec.) was upgraded to three- year Cert A. The Cert A (4-year) was phased out. Teacher training colleges are now diploma awarding institutions. In simplistic terms, if the existing system granted diploma to the teacher after training the new system should give him/her at least a first degree since that is the next step for the upgrade of the teacher.

The education reform program introduced new structures in the country’s educational system at various levels. Speaking at the inaugural ceremony in Accra, President Kufuor said the new changes proposed 11 years of Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) and four years of Senior High School (SHS) formerly Senior Secondary School (SSS). The new system would be implemented from September 1, 2007. It would start with two years of kindergarten for pupils at age four, six years of primary school which the pupil attains age 12, to be followed by three years of Junior High School (JHS) till the pupil is 15 years. After the JHS, the student may choose to go into different streams of the four years of Senior High School. The choice would offer General Education with electives in General Arts, Business, Technical, Vocational and Agricultural Education options for entry into tertiary institutions or the job market (Myjoyonline.com News 4/11/07)

Conspicuously left out of the reform is a corresponding teacher education that would respond to the changes being advocated for. The success of the new policy would depend greatly on the selflessness, dedication and commitment of teachers who would implement the program. It would therefore be appropriate to give them intensive training program to improve on their professional knowledge and skills. The reform only repackaged teacher education in the form of classification of the various Teacher Training Colleges in terms of subject/ course structures.

One wonders why Prof. Anamua-Mensah, who as Vice-Chancellor of University of Education, Winneba (UEW) was mandated to put the reform together, did not suggest that all the teacher-training colleges be made satellite campuses of UEW. This clearly would make the institution (UEW) the main source of teacher education and the largest among the public universities in the country. This would streamline teacher education and in the long run eliminate the various categories of teachers in pre-tertiary institutions.

More disturbing is Papa Owusu Ankoma’s (Minister of Education) statement that the National Accreditation Board would accredit diplomas awarded by teacher training colleges when they were upgraded into tertiary institutions (GNA 2/14/07). Equally disturbing is the idea of upgrading all Certificate “A” teachers to the diploma level within the next ten years. If there was going to be an upgrade into tertiary institutions why not make them degree awarding right away instead of diploma? This type of upgrade has been done before. St Andrews Training College, Mampong-Ashanti, was originally a Cert “A” (four-year) institution. It is now one of the campuses of UEW. Even UEW itself was originally the Kwame Nkrumah Ideological Institute. It later became a two-year specialist teachers college, then a diploma awarding institution before it was turned into a degree awarding institution. All the existing 38 teacher training colleges have passed from various teachers’ cert “A” through to diploma awarding institutions making them also qualified to be degree awarding institutions. Therefore the same method/principle used to convert the UEW schools to degree awarding institution should be used to convert all the training colleges into university campuses under UEW.

The presence of the various categories of teachers dates back to the pre JSS/SSS period where middle school education was the cut off point for almost all those whose parents could not afford secondary school education (“Agyaaku mma” -Agya Kwaku’s Children) The Cert A (4-year) training colleges provided the alternate route for high school education for Agyaaku mma. Most of them (Agyaaku mma) later availed themselves of their education to get university degrees and thus occupied positions of eminence in the country. The Chairman of the National Democratic Congress, the main opposition party in Ghana, Dr. Kwabena Adjei and Dr.Vladmir Antwi Danso of the University of Ghana, Legon, are two examples why teachers would like degrees. They were all Certificate “A” (4-year) teachers from Jasikan and Abetifi Training Colleges respectively. With the advent of the JSS/SSS system, all students have a fair chance of acquiring high school education that generally prepares them for challenging academic professions. It does not make sense then to continue to have variations of teacher education in the country.

Interestingly, the requirements for admission into a teacher training college is almost the same as those for university degree – a significant pass at the West African Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). Why should students with the same qualifications be made to pursue courses with different emphasis – diploma for teachers and degree for other academically oriented professions? Individuals going into teaching should feel the compassion for the profession. They should not be made to do so at the last bus stop. Since they were all coming from the same system with similar experience and educational background it would only be fair to give the teachers the chance to earn their degrees at the first attempt. If you gave them diploma they would soon turn round to go for their degrees. This is the situation that is happening in the system. It has to stop since it is not helping anybody. Has someone asked why Ghana Education Service (GES) is the only institution in the country that gives study leave to a large number of its personnel every year? Available data indicates that teachers on study leave peaked at 9,814 in 2000 and since then averaged around 6,000. The situation has become so disturbing that GES has now resorted to issuing quota for the number of teachers approved to proceed on study leave every year nationwide. In 2006/07 the quota was 3,000. These figures indicate a system that is sick and needs to be treated. Almost all those granted study leave are pursuing various courses leading to a degree. If the Cert A or diploma holding teacher were satisfied, he would not go to a university for a degree.

A top official of the Ministry of Education, Charles Aheto-Tsegah, Head of Planning and Development Partners Coordinating Unit, had advocated for the abolition of the study leave with pay policy for teachers arguing that the policy was a huge drain on education in the country (newtimesonline.com 11/15/06). As long as the system has created various categories of teachers, those at the lower level would always strive to reach at the top. Most of the students who attended public universities in the country as private candidates until the abolition of the General Certificate of Examination (GCE O & A Levels) were teachers. The trend would be the same until they were given degrees. There is not much difference in course content between first degree and a diploma. Some revision of the diploma courses is all that is needed to award degrees to our teachers. This change must be done to stop the recycling of the teaching personnel and block the drain on education in the country. As expected the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) reacted sharply to the call for the abolition of the study leave with pay policy for teachers. GNAT declared that the suggestion was out of place and defended the policy as “the imperatives of grooming dedicated and committed staff to take up top management positions in the GES.” (newtimesonline.com 12/24/06) The system discriminates against those with Certificate “A” and diploma in that they cannot be promoted to take up responsible and challenging positions. Nobody wants to stay in a profession that keeps some of its personnel at the lower social strata. This explains why there is not much job satisfaction among those involved and thus creating instability in the system. If the trained teacher were given a degree, the study leave with pay would in the long run be curtailed. This would release enough funds for their remuneration. Ghanaian teachers with degrees have had no problems for acceptance and appointment in any other country. They were/are accepted and worked/working in Nigeria, Libya, South Africa and in the US. Those with Cert A and Diplomas have had to settle for less. It happened in Nigeria and Libya in the eighties. They are not even considered at all in the US. A degree from a recognized university is an asset while a diploma is a liability. A holder of a diploma has to spend time explaining why he has not got a degree. This is not the case of the one with a degree. Comparatively, a teacher with a degree exhumes confidence, assertiveness and possesses high self-esteem.

Anyone who is familiar with the United States educational system knows that Ghana’s new system is very similar. The only difference is with primary school education where the child in the US spends five years and the Ghanaian will be there for six years. Why there is an additional year for basic education in Ghana is not clear but it may mean cost was not considered. However, since the US requires bachelor (first) degree for its teachers it becomes necessary for Ghana to do same. This system, at least will make our children who migrate to the US before their completion of High School be accepted into the system with ease.

As a lasting legacy for his political career, it is suggested that President John Agyekum Kuffour (JAK) make first degree the minimum qualification for a teacher in Ghana. JAK cannot motivate the Ghanaian teacher any better. He is only a heartbeat away from this decision. Posterity would forever remember him. This is a history making decision. He has to take the bull by the horn and turn teacher-training colleges into degree awarding institutions. On this one the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) would love to hate him. Generation of Ghanaian teachers would remember him for this. JAK should know that no other Ghanaian president would change this decision. JAK should do this for the Ghanaian teacher. If he didn’t someone would.

Views expressed by the author(s) do not necessarily reflect those of GhanaHomePage.