ADDRESS DELIVERED BY THE PRINCIPAL, DR. SAMUEL ADDAE-BOATENG, ON THE OCCASION OF THE 9TH CONGREGATION OF ATEBUBU COLLEGE OF EDUCATION HELD ON SATURDAY, 7TH AUGUST, 2021.
Members of the former Council present.
The Honorable Regional Minister, Bono-East.
The Representative of GTEC, Ing. Prof. Abdul-Rahma Ahmed.
The Representative of the Vice Chancellor, UCC, Prof. Augustine Tanle. The Guest Speaker, Dr. Christian Addai-Poku, Registrar NTC and Alumnus The Former Regional Minister.
The Member of Parliament, Atebubu-Amantin. The Honorable District Chief Executive.
The Municipal Director of Education. Dr. Paul Kwadwo Addo
Nananom Present. The Chief Imam. The Clergy.
The Vice Principal.
The Heads of Department. The Alumni.
The SRC The Media. Graduands.
Distinguished Guests. Ladies and Gentlemen
Welcome note;
I have the singular honour to welcome you to today’s congregation. Today’s unique Congregation is the 9th Congregation of the College. It is unique to us in the sense that, this Congregation marks the last cohort of the DBE Programme and the first to be held during the outbreak of the COVID- 19 pandemic.
As the chief servant of the college, I am obliged to give account on our stewardship for the 2019/2020 academic year. In this regard I would like to give a concise report highlighting on achievements, challenges and key expectations for the year and beyond.
Students Population.
The total students’ population as at the beginning of the 2020/2021 Academic year stands at 1,280 comprising 656 males and 624 females. The year breakdowns are as follows: Level 100 students stand at 498, Level 200 is 396 and level 300 stands at 394.
Admission for 2020/2021.
Per the roadmap before PRINCOF, the sale of forms came to close on Saturday 31st July, 2021. There is the likelihood that the College would admit same numbers of applicants of 500 as last year for the B.Ed. Programme. This year’s admission would be the fourth batch of the 4-year B.ED programme since its inception. The College currently runs three programmes, namely B.Ed. Early Childhood Education, B.Ed. Primary Education and B.Ed. JHS Education Programmes.
Staff Population.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, the working staff of the College stands at Ninety-Six with a total teaching staff of 35, comprising four (4) female Tutors and thirty-one (31) male Tutors. They are complemented by sixty-one (61) non-teaching staff, comprising Administrative staff and junior staff. With the financial clearance given the College, the College is in the process of recruiting additional staff for both teaching and non-teaching to support the core mandate of the College to improve quality teaching and learning.
Staff Upgrading
Seven (7) tutors have been enrolled to pursue their Ph.D. in various Universities both inside and outside the country, two (2) Tutors have completed M.Phil. programmes and six other tutors have also enrolled to do their top-ups to acquire their M.Phil. Degrees.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, two (2) Administrative staff have completed their masters’ courses and have been awarded their required Degrees, while two (2) others are also at the completion stages of their 2nd Degrees.
As a College, we are poised to render high standard, quality teaching and learning, therefore we are pursuing policies and programmes that will ensure that all students attain excellence.
Governance and Quality Assurance
Atebubu College of Education is highly driven by principles of good Governance, Accountability and Transparency in Central Administration. Several policies were developed to ensure efficient management and administration of the College. Also in order to ensure compliance of statutory provisions, the following Committees were constituted to help the smooth running of the
governance system and, to also serve as checks and balances. We have inaugurated the Finance Committee, Audit Committee, Entity Tender Committee, Development Committee and some other committees. Distinguished Ladies and gentlemen these committees have helped strengthen the governance system.
I wish also to inform you that names and particulars of all representatives on the College Council as required by the COE’s ACT such, as the Alumni, the SRC, the Academic Staff and Non- Academic staff have been submitted to the Chief of Staff through the appropriate offices and we are very hopeful that the College Council would be constituted very soon.
COVID-19 and Measures Taken.
The College Management constituted a nine (9) member response team to work on all COVID-19 protocols. The Committee put measures in place to educate the College Community to strictly adhere to all COVID-19 protocols. Students’ temperatures were taken before they were allowed entry to the College. Wearing of nose mask is compulsory. Veronica buckets are put at vantage places. Students were supplied with sanitizers, tissues and nose masks. The team periodically visits all classrooms to ensure that there is compliance with all COVID-19 protocols. Management has also resorted to the periodic fumigation of lecture halls, dormitories and offices.
In order to promote teaching and learning in the COVID-19 era, College Management has been periodically assessing the face to face and virtual learning sessions. College Management realized that our students do not access the virtual learning with reasons as; high cost of data, poor and fluctuating telecommunication networks and none-seriousness on the part of the students.
In order to improve standards, College Management has encouraged Tutors to cover all areas of their courses when the students come for the face-to-face sessions. Management has also
constructed an internet facility on campus to enhance teaching and learning, research and aid virtual classroom learning.
In the face of COVID-19, Tutors benefited from workshops run for the academic staff by our affiliate institution by both virtual teaching and face to face means, to help Tutors deliver their lessons effectively either by face-to-face or virtual teaching.
In this accord, College Management is very grateful to the Institute of Education, University of Cape Coast, for the support and for the recent workshop organized for Tutors on writing of Journal Publications.
Security and Safety
In order to beef up our security on campus, Management has also installed street lights on campus to improve visibility at night. Advertisements have been placed in the newspapers as part of the process to recruit more security personnel to boost up the security in the College.
Apart from the security personnel, College Management had a contract with the Ghana National Fire Service who had installed fire extinguishers and fire alarms at the College Administration to alert staff and students on fire-related emergencies as a way of fighting fire outbreaks. Plans are being made to extend this to all structures in the College.
Infrastructural Development
College management has continued to make huge investments in infrastructure and has undertaken the following developmental projects:
- College offices – All administrative offices have been refurbished with new set of furniture, air conditioners and computers.
- Departmental offices – All departmental offices have been stocked with sets of furniture, computer sets and other necessary logistics for academic work
- Students’ residence – College Management with its meager IGF has constructed a 100- bed capacity dormitory for the female students and has also procured 50 bunkbeds and 100 mattresses for students’ With the help of the GETFUND, additional 300 bunkbeds and 600 mattresses have been procured to help with student accommodation.
For effective and efficient running of the College kitchen, Management procured a Midi-Van to help the College kitchen to transport foodstuff.
College Management has also taken rehabilitation works on students’ dormitories and some staff bungalows.
College Management has, in addition, redesigned and constructed the College entrance to give it a face-lift.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, permit me to also give account on the performance of the SRC. As one of the key stakeholders of the College, the SRC has dug and mechanized two boreholes for the College to help reduce the acute water shortage on campus. The SRC has also contracted for the construction of pavement blocks at the forecourt of the students’ dormitories and walk ways to lecture halls. However, the project is yet to start.
On this note, I wish to commend them for their support to the College development.
The mothers of the SRC – the Alumni, has over the years done a lot for the development of the College. The Alumni is currently constructing two semi-detached staff bungalows for the College staff. The project is at the plastering stage. Some individuals in the Alumni fraternity are also supporting the College in diverse ways. Dr. Paul Addo and his family have since 2010 sponsored the best graduating students’ awards and the exemplary leadership awards. Mr. Samboss Godwyll single handedly erected a sign post at the main entrance of the College. Management is very grateful to the Alumni and looks forward to receive more support from other individuals in the Alumni also.
Ladies and Gentlemen, permit me to appreciate ………….. and …………….. for constructing another borehole for the College, one that is yet to be commissioned. We are most grateful and pray that the Almighty God will bless your bountifully.
Our Challenges.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, permit me to give accounts on our challenges. It has become very imperative for College Management to strive to resolve most of our challenges. However, in our quest to resolve such challenges, there are others that have gone beyond the College’s financial strength. Some of these challenges are as follows:
Acute water crisis;
We could count as many as seven mechanized boreholes the College has, in our quest to reduce the water shortage on campus, yet, we are still faced with serious water shortages, especially during the dry seasons. We therefore appeal to our stakeholders to come to our aid.
The Ghansah Dam;
College Management is of the hope that distilling the College Dam known as Ghansah Dam to harvest water would help to resolve the water crisis once and for all. We therefore wish to extend our request for support to the government and other charitable organizations, especially the One- District-One-Dam Secretariat to come our aid.
Campus Inner Roads
Hon. Minister, one of our greatest challenges is our road network. We are not spared in any of the weather seasons. The environment becomes very dusty during dry seasons and very muddy during the rainy seasons. Construction of a road, as we are all aware, is capital intensive, and the College resources could not be enough for such a project. We are therefore earnestly asking for government support to enable us construct the roads for the College.
Accommodation facility;
Hosting all the year groups of students on campus has become very difficult since our facilities are not enough. We are requesting for the support of Government, NGOs and individuals, either in partnership or as individual entities, to build hostels for the students, as well as classrooms and tutors’ offices.
GETFund
We are faced with the challenge of our contractors moving out site for non-payment of work done. For some time now our contractors under GETfund projects have not been paid and as result they have moved out of site. Payment certificates submitted for claims have not been paid. Hon.
Minister, Management wants your support to get our contractors paid so that they can move back to site.
Prospects
College Management is envisaging to go into farming by using the College’s vast land to cultivate cereals to feed our students and sell the surplus to raise IGF for the College. Management has the intention to venture into other agricultural businesses, such mushroom cropping, fish farming and the like. We are thus calling on the government, the planting for food and jobs secretariat, NGO’s, Ministries and individuals for assistance in this regard.
Academic Excellence
We shall continue to improve upon the quality of education delivery in the College by enhancing the use of technology in teaching and learning. Scholarship and other incentive schemes would soon be introduced to reward students who excel and encourage all others to strive to excel academically. We shall continue to instill discipline in our students to mold their attitudes positively for the world of work and the communities they may find themselves.
Community Improvement
We have designed and are yet to submit for auditing and accreditation, part-time programmes for the staff of Banks, Market women, tailors and seamstresses and other artisans. We believe that with the rollout of these programmes, we would be fulfilling part of our Corporate Social Responsibility to our catchment area.
Former Council members
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, College Management wishes to show its profound gratitude to our former Council Members for their support and purposeful direction for a smooth running of the College to this far. We cannot mention Council without appreciating the effort of the Alumni, teaching staff and the non-teaching staff to the development of the College.
Graduation 2021
As we are all aware, Graduation ceremony is significant in the life of every student. It is the confirmation of all the hard work, difficulties and fears that have been experienced as well as the achievement of academic success. This is the best moment for any student who has successfully gone through the rigors of academia. Today’s cohort completed the programme in 2020 and are having their National Service in various parts of the country. I must say that 367 students have fully satisfied the requirements and would be conferred the Award of Diploma in Basic Education Certificate at this memorable ceremony.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, the current results indicate a tremendous improvement in performance over that of the previous year. Out of 367 graduates that satisfied the requirements, 15 graduands constituting 4.1% had 1st class. The 2nd class upper, 2nd class lower, 3rd class and pass graduands are: 95, 115, 97 and 45 students, constituting 25.9%, 31.3%, 26.4%, 12.3% respectively.
I would want to use this opportunity to congratulate the Graduands for their successful completion of their DBE programme. I want to express our gratitude to their parents whose efforts made their wards’ dreams come to a fruition. With a heartfelt appreciation, Management wants to thank the
Tutors whose experiences and sacrifices brought about today’s Congregation. Thank you again for bringing these Graduands this far.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, to further encourage and motivate students to put up their best and to bring competition amongst them, an Alumnus of the College, Dr. Paul Kwadwo Addo and his family, in collaboration with Management has instituted an awards scheme to award the best graduating students. This is to celebrate all first class graduates and the best graduating female student.
We have another award for an exemplary leadership which goes to a staff or personality outside College campus, donated by the Addo family.
Nananom, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, to motivate our female students to compete squarely with their male counterparts, Management has also instituted an awards scheme dubbed “Principal’s Special Award” mainly for the best graduating female.
Dear Graduands
I wish to formally congratulate you for the successful completion of your programmes. You have really worked hard by making your families and Tutors very proud. I will also take this opportunity to show my gratitude once again to the teachers and families whose sacrifices and perseverance have made this day possible for you.
As you move into the world of work, let your training influence your attitudes and approach to work. Keep in mind that learners are your reason for being at work each day and open your eyes to identify the unique realities they face. Create an open, safe and supportive classroom for your students. As beginner teachers, I will recommend Kyle Schwartz’s book entitled “I Wish My Teacher Knew” for you to read and allow the lessons there to direct your path if you want to be
the great teacher that made that positive impressive and lasting impact in the lives of your students. Let not this Diploma be the terminal point of your education. Strive hard through the difficulties that may come your way to go higher on the academic ladder, having in mind that the Diploma is but a stepping stone onto higher heights. Like you, I graduated with a Diploma some years back; but today, I hold a philosophical degree (PhD). Let us hear about you making great strides and achievements to make us proud.
Ayekooooo!!!!!!
We are most grateful to everyone.
Long Live Atebubu College of Education. Long live Ghana.
Thank you.