Steps needed for untrained teachers to become professionals

Page 61, Oct 25, 2010
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE District Chief Executive for Jaman South in the Brong Ahafo Region, Mr Julius Atta-Bediako, has called for measures to be put in place to enable community teaching assistants to be enrolled in teacher training colleges in future.
He said such a measure would enable more people to be trained and posted to the rural areas to improve on teaching and learning in such areas.
Mr Atta-Bediako made the call at the opening of a 14-day training workshop for 47 community education teaching assistants under the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) in the district.
He said it was the wish of the government that whenever there was recruitment in any field of endeavour, the NYEP beneficiaries should be the first to be considered.
The DCE advised the beneficiaries not to be swollen headed and consider the NYEP as a permanent employment but must continue to study in order to further their studies to enable them achieve higher laurels.
He also advised them to obey the Ghana Education Service rules and regulations since they were now considered as part of the system.
The Jaman South District Co-ordinator of the NYEP, Mr Cosmos Amankona, advised the participants to avoid alcohol and use their allowances judiciously.
In a speech read on her behalf, the Jaman South District Director of Education, Madam Lilian A. §??, said the workshop did not focus on making the beneficiaries substantive professional teachers but as teaching assistants.
She, therefore, urged them to co-operate with their programme co-ordinators and facilitators during the workshop to enable them acquire basic teaching skills to assist pupils who would be entrusted to their care.