A level 300 student at Akatsi College of Education in Akatsi, Ghana's Volta Region, has written a note expressing his heartfelt anger.
Mr Gbadago Justice, a Teacher Trainee who is also the Vice President of NUPS - G, AKATSICO Chapter National, NUTSA Public Relations Officer, a Young Upcoming Youth Activist, and a Former Assistant Senior School Prefect of SOGASCO, voiced his heartfelt disappointment in the article below.
A letter dated October 8, 2021 was sent to teacher trainees in Ghana's 46 public colleges of education, approving the proposed schedule for the 2021/2022 academic year. Trainees in levels 200 and 300 were told to report to campus/school on November 6, 2021, in this letter.
Most trainees have this anticipation, hence the bulk of them have made preparations in advance for this date.
As a result, working teacher trainees informed their managers of the resume date as a demonstration of professionalism at work, as the majority of them elected to work throughout the vacation.
Surprisingly, on November 2, 2021, the National Conference of Principals of Colleges of Education - Ghana issued a letter with the reference number PS/ROA/01 stating that the Director General of GTEC has directed all levels 200 and 300 students to report to school in 2022 on dates to be announced soon.
However, the reopening date for level 100 students has not altered ( January 8, 2022). Hearing the rumor on November 1st, 2021 in the evening caused a significant deal of disruption and a sleepless night for many trainees. On November 2, 2021, it was confirmed that teacher trainees are disappointed and their minds are tortured.
For the vast majority of trainees across the country, this is regretful and unpleasant. Our preparations have been destroyed due to the late distribution of necessary information to teacher candidates. Psychological, emotional, and socioeconomic preparation are all systematically damaged. What should a teacher trainee do if he or she has informed the supervisor that he or she is returning to school and the boss has arranged for a new employee to take over?
"If this continues, then, regret to say, Colleges of Education will be a place of no go for the youths," one is left with no choice but to state. Yes, this is the pinnacle of its achievement.
Teacher trainees, youth, are unable to sit still when they see top officials torturing them. We deserve better, if not the best, at the very least. I am relatively confident that trainees in levels 200 and 300 have prepared and made up their brains, set up their emotions to be psychologically and physically ready for academic work, but out of nowhere, a thunder storm blew in, causing havoc on their minds and bodies.
Most of my colleagues who called me to check on the accuracy of the material claimed they regretted coming to college as a result of this.
These few questions have been bothering me since I learned of the postponement: Does this suggest that there was no sufficient consultation and analysis prior to the announcement of the previous resumption date?
Who were the individuals who deliberated and came up with the previous resumption date? or are they distinct from those who announced the new resumption date?
Why was a new restart date announced four days before the scheduled resumption date?
In fact, teacher trainees are in tears and are pleading with high officials to respect their emotions and position, especially in such a crisis. Yes, in the circumstances where the government has strategically balanced in a nicodemus attitude and refused to pay the trainees their promised and legitimate allowances on time or at all, but instead subjected them to mind games.
This cannot continue unless there is a shift in educational institutions.
I advocate for positive change in educational institutions and in Ghana, my adopted homeland.
On that note, I respectfully suggest that #CoETopOfficialsStopPlayingWithTraineesEmotions. #FixCoE. It is my desire and prayer that this does not happen again in our educational system, particularly at the tertiary level.
Please accept my apologies if any of my words came across as venomous.
Source : Front Desk of Hon. Gbadago Justice (Chief Justice of AKATSICO, SRC and a level 300 trainee offering Mathematics and ICT ).
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