Beginning with the 2022–2023 academic year, the government has reinstated the quota admission system for the 46 authorised public colleges of education.
The number of prospective teacher trainees who may be admitted to each of the 46 colleges of education was specified by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) in a letter to the National Conference of Principals of Colleges of Education (PRINCOF).
"Please be advised that the allocation is rigorously enforced and cannot be changed. For the avoidance of doubt, these members will advise on the payment of Feeding Grants and Trainee Allowances, according to GTEC's letter.
The teacher trainee allowances for institutions of education were eliminated by the previous president, John Mahama, and were replaced by student loans from the Student Loan Trust Fund.
He said that the action will lower the financial burden on the government and boost enrollment in the various institutes of education.
By making this choice, the numerous schools of education decided to stop using the quota system.
The decision to eliminate the quota system was made, according to Mr. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who was the deputy minister of education at the time, because it had proven detrimental to the advancement of teacher education. The system had been in place for over three decades.
He said that the increase in funding for the Students Loan Trust was done "so that they will have enough to support the teacher trainees" who need financial support.
According to him, enrollment at the various institutions' colleges of education surged from 27,000 to 47,000 after the allowances and the quota system were abolished.
However, as part of its electioneering ahead to the 2016 elections, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) pledged to reinstate the teacher trainee payments.
The nurse and teacher trainee allowances, according to Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, who was then the NPP's vice presidential candidate, are non-negotiable.
"We will reinstate the teacher and nurse training payments; this is an unassailable position for us. To maximise its benefits, any country must prioritise specific industries at all times and allocate the appropriate funds. According to the NPP, Ghana must now devote all available resources to education in order to produce the high-caliber labour force we require to triumph in the internationally competitive economic war.
Following its victory in the 2016 elections, the NPP vowed not to reinstate the college admissions quota system while also restoring the nursing and teacher trainee allowances.
In 2017, Professor Kwesi Yankah, the Minister of State responsible for tertiary education, stated that colleges of education might accept as many eligible candidates as their current facilities could support without sacrificing quality and standards.
He declared that the government will not implement an admissions quota system that may deny admission to teacher training institutes to a large number of hopeful applicants.
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