Education Minister hands over 20 vehicles to Colleges of Education to boost efficiency

Minister of Education, Honorable Haruna Iddrisu, on Thursday handed over 20 vehicles to Principals of Colleges of Education at the GTEC premises in Accra, in a move aimed at improving administrative efficiency and supervision in teacher education.

Addressing the gathering, Minister Iddrisu expressed gratitude to the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), the Director General, and GetFund for supporting the initiative.

“As part of President Mahama’s research, we intend to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the heads of institutions, particularly in your monitoring and supervision role,” he said.

The Minister explained that although the original plan was to hand over 46 vehicles, resource constraints allowed only 20 colleges to benefit this year.

“So 20 Colleges of Education will benefit from these vehicles this morning,” he noted, listing institutions such as Accra College of Education, Adah College of Education, Bagabaga College of Education, Fosu College of Education, and Tamale College of Education, among others.

Mr. Iddrisu also highlighted the importance of industrial peace in education.

“CETAG is still on strike. We need industrial peace and harmony on the campuses of learning. When you prolong your strike action, it affects career planning and the career path development of the young people,” he said.

He further reassured stakeholders that outstanding teacher allowances had been paid.

“A few last month, when teachers didn’t get some allowances, they should celebrate President Mahama. We’ve paid the allowances. Any of you who went to take your salary this month, those two outstanding allowances that were not paid by the controller have been honored,” he added.

Emphasizing the significance of the vehicles beyond mobility, Minister Iddrisu said, “For us, it’s not just about your mobility. It’s about the efficiency and effectiveness of what you do. This demonstrates the government’s commitment to improving the welfare of teachers and investing in teacher education. A good student is a function of a good teacher.”

The Minister noted that eight of the beneficiary institutions were mission-based schools, underscoring the collaborative role of the church in providing equitable, quality education.

“It reflects a stronger bond between the church and the state,” he said.

Minister Iddrisu urged principals to drive carefully and make full use of the vehicles in advancing the quality of teacher education in Ghana.