Gov’t introduces new Teacher Professional Development program


President John Mahama has disclosed that government has introduced a new Teacher Professional Development program to train teachers across the country.
 
According to him, the aim of the program is to enhance the skills of about 95 per cent teachers at the basic level by 2020.
 
The President announced this on Thursday when he presented his fourth State of the Nation's address to 6th Parliament of Ghana.
 
He informed the House that 54,800 children in 4 regions have been enrolled into schools under the Compulsory Education program.
 
He said in June 2015, a total of 10,000 made in Ghana sandals, free uniforms, and text books were also distributed to pupils as part of government's social interventions, adding that all the textbooks were printed in Ghana under government directive thereby creating 1,400 new direct jobs.
 
The President told the House that the over 200 community Day Schools being built would create 200,000 new places in the SHS system and that the move was the biggest ever expansion in the entire history of Ghana. 

President Mahama added that enrollment in tertiary education had hit 6.3% for university education and 8.9 for polytechnics.
 
As a result of the establishment of the University of Health and Allied Science in Ho, a total of 816 direct jobs have been created from the established by government, President Mahama disclosed. 

"Government is on course to build one university in each region," President Mahama further noted, adding that six polytechnics have been shortlisted to be transformed into technical universities.
 
The President said abolishing the quota systems in teacher training colleges across the country had increased enrolments, announcing that government will also establish the first Islamic Teacher Training College in the country.

GBC