Education Minister unveils gov’t plans to establish new College of Education in Jomoro

Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has announced plans to establish a new College of Education in Jomoro to expand access to teacher training in the Western Region.

Haruna Iddrisu, Minister of Education, disclosed the plan on Wednesday when he inaugurated the Committee for the Establishment of New Public Universities at the Ministry of Education.

He was ably supported by the Deputy Minister for Education, Dr. Clement Abas Apaak, at the inauguration held in the Minister’s Conference Room.

He revealed that the proposed institution will be located in Ezinligbo within the Jomoro Municipality and is expected to serve communities across the Western corridor.

“To serve the same academic purpose we are looking at establishing in Ezinligbo in the Jomoro Municipality,” he said.

The Minister added that the government is exploring partnerships to facilitate the project and ensure its successful delivery.

“The Ghana Gas Company is expressing some interest in partnering with the government to get it done and to serve the people in that corridor and Western Region,” he stated.

Beyond the College of Education initiative, Haruna Iddrisu tasked the newly inaugurated committee to ensure that the establishment of public universities across the country responds to industry demands and national workforce needs.

“It is the desire of the president that every region in Ghana has a public university of its own in order to expand its access,” he noted.

He emphasised that the expansion of higher education must be guided by clear development-oriented principles.

“The primary focus in the establishment of the universities should be guided by three important values,” he said.

According to him, new institutions must contribute meaningfully to research and innovation while addressing the country’s human resource requirements.

“How does it contribute to deepening research and innovation apart from access?” he asked.

He further stressed the importance of aligning higher education with Ghana’s evolving labour market.

“How does higher education respond to the contemporary needs of our country, in particular its manpower needs and manpower requirements, and focus on the future human resource training and development of the country?” he added.

Chairperson of the committee, Dr. Christine Amoako-Nuama, described the assignment as both ambitious and necessary, noting that the committee is committed to delivering quality outcomes.

“The mandate entrusted to this committee, which is to expand access to higher education through the establishment of new public universities, the completion of ongoing projects, and the strategic expansion of existing tertiary institutions is both ambitious and timely,” she said.

She stressed that the success of the initiative will depend on quality and sustainability rather than numbers.

“We are also mindful that the work of this committee will not be established by the number of institutions established but by the quality, relevance and sustainability,” she noted.

Dr. Amoako-Nuama added that all proposed institutions must align with national priorities such as science, agriculture and entrepreneurship to drive development.