Provide strategic leadership to improve colleges of education – GES to boards 

Professor Smile Gavua Dzisi, the Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), has urged Governing Councils of Colleges of Education to provide strong strategic leadership and clear policy direction to improve institutional performance and sustainability. 

She said the Councils must go beyond supervising day-to-day activities and take pragmatic, forward-looking decisions that would shape the future of their institutions. 

Professor Dzisi said the Councils should determine where their colleges would be positioned in the next five to 10 years, including decisions on areas of specialisation such as science education, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), inclusive education, and digital pedagogy. 

She made the call at an extraordinary meeting of the Governing Council of the Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) College of Education in Accra. 

The meeting brought together Council members, the new national leadership of the SDA Church, and senior officials in Ghana’s education sector to deliberate on key policy and governance issues. 

Professor Dzisi said such bold and deliberate decisions would deliver clear and measurable benefits for both the colleges and their Governing Councils, helping institutions to remain relevant in Ghana’s evolving education landscape. 

She urged the Councils to ensure strict adherence to national education policies and recognised tertiary education standards. 

The Deputy Director-General stressed the need for Colleges of Education to clearly define and communicate their areas of specialisation within domains such as STEM education, inclusive pedagogy, early childhood education, TVET, and digital teaching methods. 

That clarity, she noted, would help staff, students, development partners, and government stakeholders to understand each institution’s core focus, strengthen institutional reputation, and attract high-calibre students, faculty, and partnerships. 

Professor Dzisi cautioned colleges against attempting to serve all purposes at once, noting that such an approach often weakened institutional identity and impact. 

She also underscored the critical role of Governing Councils in safeguarding financial accountability, explaining that the Councils were mandated to approve annual budgets and long-term financial plans to ensure alignment with approved priorities and national education policies. 

She said Councils must ensure the prudent use of public funds and internally generated funds, adding that financial decisions should demonstrate value for money and directly support teaching, learning, and institutional development. 

The Councils, she added, were also required to oversee auditing processes and enforce financial transparency, noting that regular audits and compliance checks were essential to maintaining public trust and preventing financial mismanagement. 

Professor Dzisi commended the Governing Council and Management of the SDA College of Education for their commitment to academic and professional excellence, as well as prudent financial discipline. 

She said the College had demonstrated strong leadership in promoting quality teaching and learning, improving professional standards among staff, and ensuring that academic programmes met the requirements of Ghana’s tertiary education framework. 

“The progress we are seeing at the SDA College of Education is the result of strong collaboration between the Council and Management,” she said. 

“When academic excellence is matched by financial discipline, institutions are better placed to deliver on their mandate and serve the national interest.” 

Professor Vincent Adzahlie-Mensah, Principal of the SDA College of Education, highlighted key achievements of the institution over the past two years and commended President John Mahama for directing funding for the construction of a new male hostel and a multipurpose lecture hall. 

He said the plans for the projects had been approved and work would commence soon. 

Prof Adzahlie-Mensah attributed the College’s progress to collective effort, shared vision, and strong collaboration among the Governing Council, management, staff, and students, and reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to strengthening academic quality, professional development, and ethical leadership in teacher education. 

The outgoing Chairman of the Governing Council, Professor William Kofi Koomson, expressed gratitude to members for their support and assured stakeholders that management would continue to uphold prudent financial discipline. 

He said the ultimate focus must remain on producing competent, disciplined, and value-driven teachers for national development, and urged all stakeholders to align academic excellence with financial responsibility to sustain the College’s progress. 

Source: GNA 

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