Mr Alfred Abugre Ndago, Principal of Saint John Bosco College of Education, has urged government to, as a matter of urgency, increase the admission quota for Colleges of Education, to help bridge the huge gap of teacher shortage in the country.

Mr Ndago who made the call at the Third Congregation of the College at Navrongo in the Upper East Region, observed that admission quotas for the Colleges of Education had remained the same in the past decade, whereas the number of applicants kept soaring from 20,000 in 2003 to 54,000 in 2013.

According to the Principal, the two Colleges of Education in the Upper East Region, that is, Saint John Bosco and Gbewaa, have a total admission quota of 500 as against 3,000 applicants.

This, Mr Ndago said, implies that only 17 per cent of the applicants get admission, leaving 83 per cent out.

“I strongly appeal to the government through the Executive Secretary of the National Council of Tertiary Education (NCTE), to consider increasing the admission quotas, to bridge the huge gap in teacher supply which is about 23,000 currently,” Mr Ndago stressed.

The Principal expressed regret that in spite of the fact that Colleges of Education have been placed under the Tertiary sector of Education, Staff of the Colleges still drew non-tertiary salaries, a condition which serves as a disincentive to the staff members, in the performance of their duties. He said, besides their classroom duties, the staff still performed additional crucial duties, yet the remuneration did not commensurate with the work they do, and called for the implementation of the three key documents which included the Colleges status, the Conditions of Service and the Scheme of Service.

While commending government for the Colleges’ infrastructure, the Principal appealed to it for more funds to improve upon staff and students accommodation, as well as teaching and learning.

The Principal also reminded the President to honour the promise he made in 2010 to tar the road networks of the College. Most Reverend Alfred Agyenta, Chairman of the College’s Council, appealed to government to make sure that teachers who accepted postings to deprived areas were adequately motivated to stay on. Most Rev Agyenta, who is also the Bishop of the Navrongo-Bolgatanga Diocese of the Catholic Church, assured government that the Church would continue to complement government’s efforts.

The college scored 100 per cent in the Diploma in Basic Education Examinations, with 278 graduates receiving certificates.