A new four-year Bachelor of Education curriculum to be run by the School of Education and Leadership under the College of Education, has been launched. The Bachelor of Education Curriculum is part of an initiative by government, aimed at improving teaching and learning in the country.
As part of the initiatives, all basic school teachers in Ghana would be required to study for and attain a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) degree aligned to the National Teacher Education Curriculum Framework (NTECF) and delivered by the 46 public Colleges of Education in the country. A team of 105 educators from four universities (including the University of Ghana) and Colleges of Education collaborated to write the B.Ed. curriculum, which has been approved by the National Accreditation Board. The new curriculum will be rolled out in October 2019 in all the 46 public Colleges of Education, which have been affiliated to five public universities.
The new curriculum aims at encouraging creativity in the teaching of mathematics, science and technology and the development of transferable skills and desire for life-long learning for all learners. The curriculum also seeks to enable learners to apply knowledge and skills innovatively in a way that will transform lives and drive the country’s economy for sustained development.
Six Colleges of Education have been affiliated to the University of Ghana for the purpose of running of the new programme. These are; Accra College of Education, Enchi College of Education, Evangelical Presbyterian College of Education at Amedzofe, Peki College of Education, Gbewaa College of Education at Pusiga and Mount Mary College of Education at Somanya.
The B.Ed. programme is also to be rolled out at the University of Ghana in September 2019, and as the first cohort of students are admitted to the programme, the University is also expected to provide leadership and mentor the six Colleges of Education during the take-off phase of the new programme.
Prof. Michael Tagoe, Acting Provost, College of Education
The Acting Provost of the College of Education, Prof. Michael Tagoe, in his opening remarks, emphasized the mission of the College to place innovation at the core of all teaching and learning, and pledged the College’s readiness to work with the Ministry of Education and other agencies to ensure the successful roll out of the new curriculum. He noted that the introduction of the four year Bachelor of Education programme at the University of Ghana, was to allow the University, which would be serving as mentor to six Colleges of Education, better understand any challenges that may come up during implementation of the programme, and be in a better position to advise and mentor the affiliated colleges.
A cross section of the audience
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ebenezer Oduro Owusu, in a speech read on his behalf by the Provost of the College of Health Sciences, Rev. Prof. Patrick F. Ayeh-Kumi, noted that the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 seeks to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote life-long learning opportunities for all. He stressed that the 21st Century curriculum demands that teachers exhibit compassion, love, kindness, empathy, patience, grit, perseverance, and respect, and that they should have passion for teaching and a genuine belief in every child’s ability to succeed. He also noted that the generally poor performance of students in developing countries can be attributed to the quality of initial teacher education programmes. Many of these programmes are out of touch with modern trends of knowledge and skills acquisition have thus outlived their usefulness. The Vice-Chancellor therefore expressed his delight at the introduction of the new curriculum, and hoped that within a few years, a positive impact would be seen in the quality of students coming out of the Ghanaian education system.
Rev. Prof. Patrick F. Ayeh-Kumi, Provost of the College of Health Sciences delivering a speech on behalf on the Vice-Chancellor
The Chief Technical Advisor, Transforming Teacher Education and Learning (T-TEL), Mr. Akwasi Addae Boahene gave the background to the development of the curriculum. He highlighted the features of the Bachelor of Education curriculum, which include progress in student teacher learning and skill acquisition, integration of subject specific content and pedagogy and assessment of trainees.
Mr. Akwasi Addae Boahene, Chief Technical Advisor T-TEL)
Introducing the six Colleges of Education affiliated to the University, Professor Jonathan Fletcher, Acting Dean of the School of Education and Leadership, expressed satisfaction that the curriculum had been completed and was ready to be rolled out.
Prof. Jonathan Fletcher, Acting Dean, School of Education and Leadership
He praised the University of Ghana team of curriculum writers who had put so much effort into ensuring the completion of the curriculum, and stressed that his School was prepared to work hand in hand with the affiliated colleges to ensure that the next generation of teachers receive the type of education that would equip them with the skills to ensure they have a positive influence on the children they teach.
Mr. Felix Nyarko-Pong, Chairman of Advisory Board, College of Education
Mr. Felix Nyarko-Pong, Chairman of the Advisory Board of the University’s College of Education, who performed the official launch of the curriculum, charged the School of Education and Leadership to effectively mentor the Colleges of Education that have been affiliated to the University, and offer the needed support and guidance to nurture the new initiative.
Unveiling the new Bachelor of Education Curriculum
Scenes from the launch