Raise assertive and competent teachers - Education Minister charges

Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, the Minister of Education, has hailed the Komenda College of Education (KOMENCO) in the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abirem district of the Central Region for its enormous contribution to education and national development.

He also charged them to continue to raise assertive, confident, and competent teachers for development.

“I have not seen any institution that has raised more greatness than you have done.”

Dr. Adutwum gave the commendation when he joined the management of the college to launch its 75th Anniversary Celebrations in Accra.

The anniversary, scheduled to take place in March 2023, was on the theme: “Promoting Sustainable National Development: The Contribution of Komenda College of Education in 75 Years.”

“We're also looking forward that you maintain your position as the orientation that over the years you are noted for, raising teachers that are assertive themselves, they're very confident of themselves, they are very competent themselves to pass on the competencies that we require in our 21st century to our prospective learners," Dr. Adutwum said.

The Education Minister said the school, for the past 74 years, had become home for the training of some of the best brains in the education and business fraternity who continued to hold high the plans for the country and continue to make strong contributions to the country and beyond.

He commended the Methodist Church for being a pillar of transformation and of great support and partner to the Ministry of Education and, for that matter, government.

While also commending the current Management of the college for the great transformational activities they were undertaking, he charged them to continue to raise assertive, confident, and competent teachers needed by the modern world.

“I'm very, very hopeful that KOMENCO is going to shine more and more as the home that becomes the hope for the young child, the young student, the young female, for the young man who wants to make a difference in the life of someone, who wants to become a doctor, who wants to be a lawyer, who wants to be an engineer, who wants to be a professor at the beginning of their journey with that aspiration coming on, that beautiful girl, to know that a bright career lies ahead of them,” he said.

Established in 1948 as an all-male school, the college is now a mixed institution, having admitted its first female students in 1952.

Commencing with 40 all-male students in 1948, KOMENCO currently has a student population of 1,896.

Out of this, 1,076 are males and 820 are females.

Reverend Kwasi Nkum Wilson, the principal of KOMENCO, said the College had achieved a lot in its 75 years of existence and contributed massively to the development of education in the country.

Explaining some of the changes that had taken place under his tenure, Rev Wilson said, since 2019, there had been a great shift in education, where much emphasis had been on demonstrative teaching and learning.

Rev Wilson said, despite the financial vulnerability of the College, it had been able to support staff and policies governing its activities with continuous staff training.

“There has been a continuous workshop for Staff A, B, and Junior Staff as well as student leadership of the college,” he added.

He disclosed that the College has had a breakthrough from a deficit of GH₵ 611,448.73 to a surplus of GH₵ 429,655.58 and witnessed massive infrastructure development such as the completion of a Two-Storey lady’s block, renovation of the stores and offices for the college Heads of Department, furnishing of Vocational/Technical Unit with sewing machines, commercial burners, and ovens, cylinders, washing machines, among others.

The Most Rev. Dr. Paul Kwabena Boafo, the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church, Ghana, urged all stakeholders to assist the College to propel it to a higher pedestal.