A Deputy Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, has commended Mrs. Theodosia W. Jackson and Prof. Ebenezer A. Jackson, founders of the Jackson Educational Complex which principal focus among other things, is hinged on the training of professional teachers in Ghana.
This vision of the college is geared towards curbing the perennial insufficient trained teachers to serve in the Ghanaian basic schools, especially, at the rural communities by providing the needed opportunities to prospective teachers to access professional training.
According to Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum , the private sector is an essential lubricant that oils the machinery of quality education and hence, encouraged other stakeholders in the private sector to take up the challenge and emulate the gesture exhibited by the Jackson College of Education to complement the efforts of government.
The deputy Minister said this when he was delivering a keynote address in Kumasi at the fifth graduation ceremony of the Jackson College of Education, the premier private College of Education accredited to run programs in basic education. This year’s congregation saw 2,334 newly trained teachers successfully graduating and were meritoriously awarded diploma certificates.
He emphasized that the Nana Akufo-Addo’s government is committed to ensuring effective implementation of policies that would enhance access to quality education by guaranteeing that every teacher who is offered the opportunity to teach any group of children would never be oblivious of the standards expected of them. This, he believes, would help to enhance the performance levels in schools.
The Minister assured that the Nana Akufo-Addo-led administration is bent on changing the status quo of education in the country so far as quality education is concerned.
He hinted that the Free SHS concept would be rolled out in September this year. Therefore, according to him, the situation where over 100,000 students are not offered placement in the Senior High Schools will soon be consigned to history.
He reemphasized that, the Free SHS policy of the ruling government is not a cliché and that Ghana can witness positive transformation under the Akufo-Addo government.
Dr. Adutwum challenged the newly trained teachers to be critical thinkers in order to mould their students by giving them the opportunity to learn towards transformation of society.
Oheneba Owusu Afriyie IV, Apagyahene of Kumasi expressed Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene’s excitement that the Jackson College of Education which has 30 learning centres across the ten regions of the country, has its headquarters in Kumasi.
He said the Ashanti King was gratified that the College is unrelenting in its efforts at increasing the number of quality-trained teachers in the country.
The Apagyahene commended Mrs. Theodosia W. Jackson and Prof. Ebenezer A. Jackson for their modest contribution towards promoting quality education in Ghana and hoped they would not rest on their oars but will continue to do much more for Ashanti and Ghana as a whole in the area of access to quality education for the general development of the country.
The Principal of the College, Mrs. Jackson in her report, indicated that 1,573 students were matriculated for the 2016/2017 academic year and that the intake would increase by over 100 percent in the ensuing years.
According to the principal, some opportunities available to students of the college include access to Student Loan Trust Fund, Scholarship Scheme by the Jackson Foundation, opportunity to do National Service and Ghana Education Service postings.
She announced that , in line with her objective of training good human resource base for the country, the College has introduced French Education and Early Childhood Education for the 2017/2018 academic year and that the introduction of French education is in conformance to the government’s intended policy of making the study of French compulsory in basic schools.
According to Mrs. Jackson, the Jackson College of Education has also taken steps to make Information Communication Technology (ICT) a way of life for its students through the introduction of Student’s Online Portal which helps students to access administrative and academic resources.
