The President of the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG), Prince Obeng-Himah, has called upon the government and other stakeholders to abandon the use of cosmetic approaches when addressing various issues in the colleges of education across the country.
During an insightful interview on the Probe Show, broadcasted by JoyNews and monitored by Coleman Publications, Obeng-Himah emphasized that although the government has made efforts to invest in teachers’ education, these initiatives alone are insufficient.
“The government has invested in teacher education, and we acknowledge that, but we firmly believe that is not enough,” he stated
One of the main concerns addresed by Obeng-Himah during the interview revolved around the ongoing strike action by the association and the subsequent letter issued by the Ministry of Education.
He reassured the public that the strike action was legal and that the over 2000 members of CETAG are not afraid of any potential repercussions such as termination or ‘salary frozen’.
“We want to emphasize that we are well within our rights and that our strike action is lawful. Our members are not afraid of being sacked or having their salaries frozen. Even if they do replace us with new tutors, we are solely focused on ensuring the long-term improvement of our colleges of education,” Obeng-Himah declared.
ALSO READ: “They have moulded us as a pot from clay without polishing…”- TTAG National President
The President further emphasized that the issues plaguing colleges of education are multi-faceted and require a comprehensive approach to resolve them effectively.
According to him, the cosmetic approaches, which simply paint over the problems rather than addressing them at their core, fails to bring about the necessary changes as expected.
“Using cosmetic approaches only provides temporary solutions, merely appeasing the situation without fundamentally addressing the underlying issues. As an association, we are committed to advocating for sustainable changes that will enhance the quality of education in our colleges,” explained Obeng-Himah.
During the interview, Obeng-Himah outlined several critical areas where improvements are urgently needed, infrastructure, staff welfare, Staff Recruitment, scrabing of the double-track system and others.
He stressed that these issues should be tackled holistically and collaboratively, with input from all relevant stakeholders.
SEE ALSO: Ministry of Education to Freeze Salaries of CETAG Members
It is hoped that the call will inspire a more proactive and substantive approach towards resolving the challenges facing the colleges of education in Ghana.