Teacher Education in Ghana

Abstract

In an era when quality education is a concern for education-focused international organizations and dominates national debates, teacher quality must equally be a priority. The central role of the teacher requires that teacher education must be of the highest quality toward achieving any educational agenda. This article provides a synopsis and adds to the currency of contemporary teacher education efforts in Ghana. It presents key teacher training institutions in Ghana and highlights the structure of teacher preparation, type of teacher training pursued, and pathways to teacher development in Ghana. It examines how the question of approaches teacher educators use in training student-teachers can or cannot lead to the development of critical thinking skills, which are vital to promoting teacher effectiveness. We advocate that universities, colleges, Teacher Education Division of the Ghana Education Service, and all bodies involved in teacher education in Ghana join forces to chart new content and, emphatically, approaches to teaching teachers-in-training that can promote critical thinking skills in teachers. With the increased private sector participation, we initiate a debate as to the need to ensure uniformity in teacher quality standards in Ghana.

Evaluation of Ghana's 2007 Educational Policy: Effects on Education in the Upper West Region

“…Issues relating to the improvement of teacher training programs were also suggested. The observation supports what Asare and Nti (2014) noted that the quality of a teacher is very crucial to the successful implementation of any educational policy (Asare & Nti, 2014). The next theme identified concerns the enhancement of the school feeding program.…”

‘Should I Ignore the Promotion System and Stay or I Should Quit’: An Examination of the Experiences of Teachers with the Promotion Process in the Ghana Education Service

“…"A" were required to do top-up programmes during weekends and holidays to upgrade to diploma. Provisions were also made to enable untrained teachers acquire diploma in basic education by distance programmes (Asare and Nti, 2014).…”

“…The essence of education at any level, therefore, cannot be underestimated. This is because education presents the basis for the development of the human resource of any country which in turn drives the effective utilization of the natural and material resources for development (Asare and Nti, 2014).…”

In Search of an Effective Teacher: Ghana’s Move towards Achieving Sustainable Education through Teacher Education Reforms

“…Globally, most countries have made several attempts to prepare a teaching work-force for the quality of school education, and Ghana is no exception of (Asare & Nti, 2014). Ghana has institutions outside the traditional universities that prepare pre-service teachers for basic schools.…”