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Sixty-one (61) per cent of teachers in the colleges of education do not have the requirement to teach in tertiary institutions, a survey carried out by the University of Education Winneba (UEW) has revealed.

Professor Mawutor Avoke, the Vice-Chancellor, did not indicate when this was done but said the University was eager to aid in building the capacities of the staff of the colleges.

“UEW is passionate in ensuring improvement in the provision of quality education in Ghana and we are also committed to working with the colleges of education to upgrade their status to tertiary level.”

Speaking at the 20th congregation of the university held at its College of Technology Education (COLTEK) in Kumasi, he said it was opening its doors to greater collaboration and partnership with the colleges.

A total of 5,490 students graduated and out of the figure 4,672 of them pursued various programmes of study by distance education through the Institute of Educational Development and Extension.

The remaining 818 graduated from the university’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes, which were also by distance.

Prof Avoke said UEW continued to make strides in its efforts at becoming one of the best teacher education institutions in Africa and beyond.

In line with its quest to promote research and scholarship, he announced the establishment of two funding schemes – “UEW Research, Innovation and Staff Development Fund” and the Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship Fund for Brilliant but Needy Students”.

He said about GHȼ5 million had been committed into these fund with GHȼ4 million going into the research fund.

The brilliant but needy fund was receiving GHȼ800,000.00, he added.

Prof Avoke said with the support of its development partners, the university was making progress by way of improvement of the infrastructure at COLTEK.

He cited the construction of a 3,000 capacity convention hall, workshops for electrical and plumbing, catering and hospitality, mechanical, carpentry and joinery.

Added to these, were a library and information and communication technology blocks, he said, pointing out that the workshops would be equipped with the state-of-the-art equipment to enable students to relate the theories they were learning with practical components.

Dr. Emmanuel Kenneth Andoh, Chairman of the University Governing Council, urged the graduating students to be ready to work in deprived communities’ where their services were much needed.