By Haruna Sumaila Abugri.
Principal of the Gbewaa College of education, has called on the government to expedite action towards the completion of stalled Ghana Education Trust fund (GET Fund) projects speckled in the college, so as to enhance teaching and learning.
, made the call during the ninth matriculation ceremony organized for the 2023/2024,batch of newly admitted students. The 329 newly admitted students are expected to embark on varied four-year Bachelor in Education programmes.
The stalled projects, Dr Halidu noted, will negatively affect the progress of the college.
He called on the students to take their academic activities seriously and as such maintain discipline and decency.
He equally called for a peaceful coexistence among students of the school.
‘‘The College campus is dotted with stalled GET Fund funded projects. These include the Administration Block, the new Female Hostel, the Fence wall, the two-storey classroom block, among others. The delay in completion of these projects, continue to hamper the progress of the College. With the four year B.Ed. programme, the infrastructure problem of the College has been further compounded.
We therefore wish to call on Government to expedite action on these projects in order to create the congenial atmosphere necessary for effective teaching and learning’’.
Below is his speech:
Matriculation, ladies and gentlemen, is an annual practice on the academic calendar of tertiary institutions, the world over. It is a ceremony that marks the formal registration and acceptance of students at a College or University. In this regard, matriculation can aptly be regarded as a process by which students are formally admitted into a College or University. My dear students, by your matriculation today, you have become full members of this great Institution, Gbewaa College of Education Pusiga. You are no longer fresher’s but recognized Level 100 students of Gbewaa College of Education for the 2023/2024 academic year.
To complete the matriculation process, in addition to the oath you have sworn, you will be required to sign the matriculation register (matricular). It is mandatory and failure to go through this process nullifies your admission into this College and you will be shown the exit accordingly. Accept my profound felicitations and congratulations.
ADMISSION STATISTICS :This year, admission issues took an unusual twist beyond our expectations. We admitted only 329 applicants out of 3821 (representing only 8.6%) of total applicants. The total admission this year is made up of 180 males, representing 54.7% and 149 females, representing 45.3% (This is lower than last year’s 47% female admission). We hope to achieve the College’s gender policy on admission which targets 1:1 ratio. You should therefore count yourselves very lucky to be among the selected few. You have all been admitted on the basis of the qualifying grades you submitted to us on-line. However, let me warn you sternly that if at any point in time during your studentship, it is detected that you falsified your results for admission, you shall be dismissed without delay.
Dedicate yourselves assiduously to your studies to bring fame, glory, honour and enthusiasm to yourselves, your families, the College and ultimately, the country. Remember the sacrifices your families have made to get you here. Remember the huge investment they have made and will continue to make in you. Please, do not disappoint them.
ACADEMIC FACILITIES :The College has adequate classrooms to accommodate you all for academic work. We also have a spacious library, a well-equipped ICT Center and are currently working towards getting a reliable internet connectivity to assist you in your academic work. In addition to these activities, Ladies and Gentlemen, the College can boast of a team of professionally qualified, dedicated, resolute, committed and selfless tutors capable of assisting you to achieve your academic laurels. Nevertheless, as indicated above, you have to take greater responsibility for your own studies. When you are serious with your studies, the lecturers will be motivated to offer you their maximum assistance.
RESIDENTIAL FACILITIES :You have all been assigned to various halls of residence. The facilities in these halls may not be the best, and indeed, they have never been the best anywhere.
Management will do its best to make you feel comfortable in the halls within the limited budgetary constraints. In the meantime, I urge you all to make maximum use of the available facilities there. This notwithstanding, please do not hesitate to bring to our notice any abnormalities in the halls through your hall tutors and the Dean of Students.
In this regard, I urge you all not to just pass through the College, but rather let the College pass through you. As an institution, our goal is to transform you into good, brilliant, efficient, wise, active and assertive (GBEW AA) students and future teachers.
HEALTH: The College has a fully equipped Sick Bay manned by qualified nurses to cater for your minor ailments. There are also two private hospitals and a public Health Centre in town. To access the services of these health facilities, it is convenient to have a valid and active NHIS card. I admonish those who do not have one to endeavour to acquire one in their own interest.
As part of your formal acceptance into this institution, each underwent a medical examination which purpose is to ascertain your health status and to take remedial action where necessary.
DISCIPLINE: Good behavior is the hallmark of every tertiary student. This is particularly important for you as future teachers and role models for pupils who would be entrusted to your care during your field experience and after your training. You must therefore strive to always live above board in what you do and say.
Endeavour at all times to follow the approved channels of communication to seek redress of any issue. Be reminded that the College does not condone bad behavior. Hence, those found culpable of misbehaviour and insubordination will be sanctioned accordingly.
FEEDING: One major challenge confronting the College is feeding. It would interest you to note thatfor about five years now, government is yet to increase the amount of money usually allocated to the colleges for the feeding of the teacher trainees. Due to the rising cost of living, food prices have sky rocketed resulting in this College incurring a deficit of more than seven thousand Ghana (GHȻ700) per week. This now puts a lot of pressure on the College’s coffers and will most likely affect the quality of food you will be served going forward. I therefore urge you all to co-operate fully with us as we strive to manage this difficult situation.
STALLED INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS :The College campus is dotted with stalledGET Fund funded projects. These include the Administration Block, the new Female Hostel, the Fence wall, the two-storey classroom block, among others. Delay in completion of these projects continue to hamper the progress of the College. With the four year B.Ed. programme, the infrastructure problem of the College has been further compounded. We therefore wish to call on Government to expedite action on these projects in order to create the congenial atmosphere necessary for effective teaching and learning.
CAMPUS ROADS: The College roads are not in good shape. The situations even becomes worse during the rainy season. This has made movement across campus very difficult most of the time. As a temporary measure, management is creating pavements to link major parts of the College, to ease the movement of staff and students on campus. This move will only mitigate the situation but not solve the problem. I wish to make a passionate appeal to government to give a facelift to our roads to facilitate movement on campus. This College was established in 1953, and has since not benefited from even a centimetre of bitumen road for over 70 years of independence in Ghana. This total neglect is too glaring, too embarrassing for our governance system.
CONFLICT AND PEACEFUL COEXISTENCE: The volatile nature of the Bawku ethnic conflict puts a responsibility on all of us to be careful of what we say and where we go at certain times. Every member of this college community is at risk of being caught up in the controversy of the situation in Bawku so we must adopt an absolute and complete neutral position to the conflict to avoid the unpleasant situation of targeting. Let us learn to coexist peacefully with one another and be security conscious in the college.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I will conclude by wishing all of you the best of luck in Gbewaa College of Education. Learn hard and make your parents proud by your success. May Almighty Allah guide your steps, your actions and your words. May God grant you good health, give you retentive memory, and above all, crown your efforts with resounding success. Accept my profound felicitations and congratulations.Thank you all for your attention, and may God bless our College and make our country great and strong.
