The Chairman of the Board and Advisor of Transforming Teaching, Education and Learning (T-TEL) in Ghana, Professor Jophus Anamuah-Mensah, has called on the various colleges of education to reduce the number of students admitted.

According to him, the current number of enrolment is too large, thereby affecting efficient and effective teacher preparation.

“This increasing of enrolment in the colleges is a self-inflicted tragedy which needs to be avoided,” he said.

Professor Jophus Anamuah-Mensah made the comments when he delivered the keynote address at the opening of the maiden National Dialogue on Initial Teacher Education in Accra.

The two-day event, which is on the theme: “Four years into the transformation of colleges of education into degree awarding institutions — Realities and the way forward”, was organised by the Colleges of Education Weekly Journal (CoEWJ).

He explained that there was a need to determine the capacity of the students before they are admitted.

Professor Anamuah-Mensah indicated that teacher education required practical activity and added that the increasing enrolment also affected organising an efficient and “supported teaching in schools” programme with its associated issues of placement, bussing and mentorship.

According to him, the colleges of education had continued to exert themselves using their outdated infrastructure and limited resources to prepare teachers that were needed tomorrow.

In addition, the former vice-chancellor noted that the colleges were faced with admitting students with deficiencies in literacy and numeracy and that, “there is also the undisclosed issue of no repetition for students, thus failing students are made to proceed to the next level”.