Regional News of Tuesday, 28 May 2013

Source: GNA

Kyebi College of Education releases 146 newly trained teachers

A total of 146 trained teachers, 108 males and 38 females, have graduated from the Kyebi Presbyterian College of Education (KPCE) at Kyebi at the weekend.

Forty of them pursued mathematics and science related programmes with the remaining pursing General Arts programme.

None of them obtained first class. Only seven obtained 2nd Class Upper, 54 made 2nd Class Lower; 66 obtained Third Class and 19 had Pass mark.

Reverend Dr Kofi Effa Ababio, Chairperson of the West Brong Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana and Guest Speaker at the function, appealed to the newly trained teachers to enter the profession to make Ghana a place better.

Speaking on the theme: “The Teacher as an Agent of Change”, he charged teachers to help fashion education in such a way that would help identify the challenges for solutions to be proffered.

Rev. Dr Ababio said every challenge in life had its cause and effect, however, “in most cases, what attracts immediate attention is the effect and not the cause and, so people try to find a solution to the effect, which is just a short term measure.”

He emphasized that a permanent solution to a challenge was the eradication of the cause.

“We all know that mosquitoes are the cause of malaria, and so if we want to eradicate malaria, we must get rid of mosquitoes; anti-malaria drugs are a short term solutions to the problem of malaria - a permanent solution is the eradication of mosquitoes,” he stressed.

Rev. Dr Ababio said corruption was the effect of indiscipline and that if teachers would make the educational institutions seedbeds of discipline, the forces of corruption would be neutralized in the Ghanaian society.

He charged teachers to let their classrooms and lecture halls served as a catalyst for discipline so that the forces of secularism, egocentricity, selfishness and greed which are breeding grounds for corruption would be paralyzed.

“Discipline in politics will ensure that political opponents are not regarded as enemies, it will ensure that the desire to enter politics is motivated by a spirit of patriotism and service to humanity but not by the desire to amass wealth,” Rev. Dr Ababio added.

Rev. E.Y. Omenako, Principal of the College, urged the teachers to show respect to all persons wherever they would be, stressing: “Our future as a nation does not depend only on technological advancements we can benefit from but also on human values.”

He expressed gratitude to the government for the regular allocation of funds through the Ghana Education Trust (GET) Fund for developmental projects in the College.