Hohoe, July 5 GNA - Professor Francis K. Amedahe, Dean, Faculty of Education, University of Cape Coast (UCC) has urged colleges of education to move away from the traditional teacher training of accommodating students to off-campus training to bridge the teacher defic it gap.

He said the traditional form of teacher training where students were housed on campus, had the predisposition to preclude the quest to fill the teacher vacancies in the short, medium and long-term.

Prof Amedahe said even though there were 33,000 vacancies in basic schools in the country, teacher training colleges produce only 9,000 annually besides, the high attrition rate in the Service. He said this at the 3rd Congregation of Saint Francis College of Education at Hohoe, which was organized under the theme: "Teacher Education in Ghana Today: Prospects, Challenges and the Way Forward."

A total of 226 regular Diploma in Basic Education students and 675 Sandwich top-up Diploma in Basic Education students, who pursued three and two years of academic work respectively graduated.

Prof. Amedahe insisted that a formidable but proper planning, synergy of objectives, injection of funds by government and private sector could contribute significantly to quality teacher education.

Most Reverend Francis A. K. Lodonu, Catholic Bishop of Ho Diocese called for political will to purge the educational system from further policy experimentation on children, who are the future human resource base.

He advocated systematic approaches to planning teacher education for the attainment of national educational goals and national development objectives. Mr Joseph Z. Amenowode, Volta Regional Minister said the relevance of education to the socio-economic advancement was critical and government would continue to prioritize and to spend colossal sums to expand its frontiers.

He said government has allocated funds for the rehabilitation and provision of new facilities for the 38 Colleges of Education nationwide with FRANCO receiving GH¢300,000 to complete its auditorium project and other structures. Mr Amenowode urged teachers to take centre-stage and make a difference in reversing the fall in educational standards for rapid development.

Prof Norbert K. Kofinti, Board Chairman of the College entreated graduands to avail themselves to the unlimited academic opportunities to upgrade their status.

He acknowledged the invaluable human resource base the graduands would bring to bear on the national economy and urged them to be worthy ambassadors of FRANCO.

Mr Dennis M. K. Agbenuvor, Principal of FRANCO, said 15 regular and 126 sandwich students obtained Second Class Upper Division; 65 regular and 273 sandwich students attained Second Class Lower Division with 109 regular and 119 sandwich students gaining Third Class category. He added that 19 regular and 17 sandwich students attained a pass with five and 140 labelled as non-classified.

Mr Agbenuvor said despite the odds, the College remained formidable among the top three best Colleges in the country. He challenged the current crop of final year students to set new academic records in the ensuing years.

He appealed to government to increase substantially financial allocations to the College to improve infrastructure to befit its new status.

Mr Agbenuvor called on stakeholders to assist it to curb the massive encroachment on its lands.

mr Ferdinard Nelson Lettey and Ms Esther Naa Koshie Quarcopome were adjudged best students at the Regular and Sandwich categories.