JAMAL CAUTIONS STUDENTS AGAINST NEGATIVE ACTS (PAGE 17, MARCH 25, 2010)

THE DEPUTY Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Baba Jamal Mohamed Ahmed, has cautioned teacher trainees against negative acts that have the tendency to influence the behaviour of pupils.
He said because such students would, after graduation, instil in their pupils similar behaviour, it would no doubt make them (the pupils) vulnerable to negative acts.
Baba Jamal gave the caution when he addressed students of the Presbyterian College of Education at Kyebi to mark the college’s first Students Representative Council (SRC) Week last Saturday.
"You will soon be in the classroom to teach these very young ones who will imbibe anything you exhibit. Therefore, you must not associate yourselves with such bad acts as ‘Sakawa’, drunkenness, boy-girl relationship, among others, because the pupils are more likely to follow your footsteps," he stated.
With regard to students’ involvement in the administration of educational institutions, Baba Jamal expressed hope that formation of SRC would go a long way to seek and protect students’ welfare and also cement their relationship with authorities of the college.
He advised the students to take advantage of government policy on distance education to pursue further courses at the universities in order to upgrade themselves, adding that such a venture would in the long term improve education in the country.
The government, he stated, was also doing its best to improve educational standards in pursuit of such initiatives as the Capitation Grant, free meals and uniforms in deprived areas as well as good infrastructure.
The Principal of the college, Rev. E.Y. Omenako, traced the history of the transformation of teacher training colleges to colleges of education, which according to him, started in 1990, expressing hope that with the formation of the SRC, students would have a representation in the management of the college.
The East Akyem Municipal Director of Education, Mrs Kate Agyeman Badu, was happy that the government had taken steps to improve the lot of teachers and advised them to also take advantage of in-service training to better their lot.
Mr Peter Simon Asirifi, the East Akyem Municipal Chief Executive, asked the teachers to come up with innovations that would make their lessons lively and interesting to pupils.
Earlier, Mr Daniel Akorli, President of the SRC, enumerated the problems of the college, which he said included inadequate water supply as well as improper dining and assembly halls, resulting in dining and other social gatherings being held in portions of the girls dormitory. He thus called on the authorities of the college to provide suitable facilities for the college.