A training workshop has been organised by the Institute of Education (IoE) for management of the various Colleges of Education (CoE) to build their capacities in managing tertiary institution.

The workshop, which was held in Kumasi, Tamale, Koforidua, Hohoe, Accra and Cape Coast, was participated by Principals, Secretaries and Finance Officers of the 43 public CoE in Ghana.

Presentations by resource persons focused on “Roles of College Principals”; “Communication in Colleges of Education”; “Roles of College Secretaries”; “Committee System”; “Budget and Budgetary Control” and “Financial Administration”.

Explaining the purpose of the workshop, the Director of IoE, Prof Fredrick Ocansey, said the capacity building programmes had become necessary because of the upgrade of the CoE to tertiary institutions.  “Since 1975, the Institute of Education has been working with the Colleges of Education and the focus has been on curriculum development, curriculum innovation, assessment and recommending students who pass their exams for certification," he added.

He said IoE used to run workshop for some selected personnel, but with this new relationship in place: “it is the responsibility of the Institute of Education to mentor the Colleges so series of training programmes have been planned for all category of staff of the Colleges”.

Prof. Ocansey said that since the signing of Memorandum of Understanding between UCC and the Colleges in 2016, the IoE had organised several training programmes on UCC campus and the campuses of some of the Colleges, as well as the regional levels. He reiterated UCC’s commitment to provide good mentorship to the Colleges.

Making a presentation at the workshop, the Deputy Registrar at the Quality Assurance and Mentoring Unit of the Institute of Education, Dr. Kwaku Gyasi- Badu, said the principal as the head of the institution performs the role of disciplinary officer, administrative and academic head of the college. He said the Principal should be a visionary leader with good interpersonal relationship to engage council, management staff, students and other stakeholders to effectively run the institution.

The Deputy Director of Finance, Mr. Francis Obeng, in his presentation, called on management of the Colleges to be committed to truth, fair dealings, quality and competence. He asked them to develop appropriate organisational structures and also operate with integrity, independence, and openness at all levels. He said they should delegate authority appropriately with accountability, bearing in mind the need to be professional in their approach to financial administration.

Mr. Obeng told them to manage the resources available in their respective institutions very well, noting that “Internal Control System is the vehicle through which the good virtues of human capital can be measured, therefore, continuous development and implementation of internal controls is the surest way of achieving goals”.

Other resource persons for the workshop were Dr. (Mrs.) Alfredina Kuupole and Mr. Nicholas Kutor of the Quality Assurance and Mentoring Unit.

On behalf of the participants, the President of Conference of Principals of Colleges of Education (PRINCOF), Rev. Sister Elizabeth Amoako-Arhen, expressed gratitude to the resource persons and the IoE for organising the training programme for them. “Bringing us together has helped us to get to know ourselves more, interact closely and to share ideas”, she noted.

She indicated that the workshop had been very enlightening, adding that “we have learnt new things and refreshed ourselves on things we thought we knew”.