THE FIRST STEP
By ensuring the development of a functional human resource, education contributes to national development. People who are well-educated can have a favourable impact on the economy and society if excellent educational institutions are established. As people put the knowledge and skills they gained at school to use, a positive social transformation and accompanying economic growth are realised. We all refer to this person as our ‘teacher’ in the process of learning these abilities. For this reason, countries that want to grow economically and socially should not overlook the importance of teachers.
Students’ success in school is largely influenced by the quality of their teachers. The quality of education and the general performance of the students they instruct are largely determined by the performance of teachers. As a result, teachers themselves should pursue the greatest possible training in order to provide the best possible instruction to their students. Excellent teachers and quality instruction are recognised to have a significant impact on students’ academic and social development. Teachers who have received great training are more likely to be able to effectively manage classes and foster learning. As a result, the quality of teachers remains an issue even in nations where children frequently score high on international exams like Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TMS) (TIMSS). Teachers’ education is a top priority in these countries because it has the potential to lead to better student outcomes.
In nearly every country, the way teachers are educated is evolving in response to the need to train educators who are aware of students’ contemporary requirements or simply to meet the increased need for educators. Some of the modifications are aimed at ensuring that high-quality instructors are created, while others are simply designed to keep classrooms staffed. No Child Left Behind Act’s No Child Left Behind Act’s No Child Left Behind Act’s No Child Left Behind Act’s No Child Left Behind Act’s No Child Left Behind Act (Accomplished California Teachers, 2015). Even in Japan and other Eastern countries where there are more instructors than needed and systems have been established to ensure the production and employment of high quality teachers, concerns about the teacher and teaching quality persist (Ogawa, Fujii & Ikuo, 2013). There’s no joking around when it comes to teacher training. Part I and Part II are both included in this article. A section on teacher quality is followed by an examination of some of Ghana’s teacher education system’s other variables.
Education for teachers 2.0
The government of Ghana has made a concerted effort to recruit and train high-quality teachers for its primary school classrooms. The goal of Ghanaian teacher education, according to Benneh (2006), is to provide a comprehensive programme that includes both initial teacher training and ongoing in-service training to ensure that students are taught by teachers who are capable of improving the quality of classroom instruction. As late as a few years ago, the initial teacher education programme for Ghana’s elementary school teachers was only offered by the Colleges of Education (CoE) and other postsecondary institutions. When comparing programmes given by other tertiary institutions, it is clear that colleges of education provide tuition while the University of Cape Coast, through its Institute of Education, provides instruction, exams, and awards diplomas to its graduates. A large number of qualified instructors are a goal of these institutes’ training programmes. Teachers’ training programmes are accredited by the National Accreditation Board to assure quality.
Programs for teacher education are accredited by the National Accreditation Board on the basis of the courses they offer. As a result, the content and format of courses offered by various organisations varies. While both the Institute of Education and the Center for Continued Education at the University of Cape Coast offer a three-year Diploma in Basic Education (DBE) degree, their course content differs slightly. As a result, neither of these programmes is comparable to the CoEs. When comparing CoE’s DBE programme with the UTDBE programme, it is clear that they are not interchangeable. University of Cape Coast, University of Education, Winneba, and the other universities and university colleges provide two-year post-diploma in basic education programmes as well as four-year bachelor’s degree programmes. As a result, even though the same products are marketed to the same customers, they are prepared differently.
Teachers of all grade levels, from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade, can get the training they need in these various programmes. When there is a need for additional instructors in a short period of time, alternative routes or programmes for teacher preparation are considered as beneficial. When it comes to training non-professional instructors, the UTDBE programme, stated above, is an excellent example. The problem is that this effort to increase the number of teachers due to a shortage is likely to compromise quality.
Teacher educators are worried about alternative pathways to teacher education, as observed by Xiaoxia, Heeju, Nicci and Stone (2010). The elements that contribute to the issues of teacher education and teacher retention are numerous and complex. Fast-tracking teachers is a primary goal of several of these routes. This omitted the preparatory work that potential teachers need to do before they enter the classroom. Students in alternative pathways like Teach for America (TFA) have been defended by those who favour them by claiming that they are academically clever and can therefore learn a lot in a short period of time, according to a 2010 study by Xiaoxia, Heeju, Nicci, and Stone. Others contend that in areas like English, science, and mathematics, where there is typically a lack of instructors, good candidates who have taken English, mathematics, and science courses at the undergraduate level must be deliberately opened up to alternate avenues. Alternative teacher education programmes in Ghana, where even the brightest students avoid teaching for a variety of reasons, do not support any of these pro-alternative claims.