The Principal of the Tamale College of Education,
Alhaji Yakubu Bukari, has appealed to the government to increase the quota of students for Colleges of Education to train more teachers to improve the pupil-teacher ratio.
He said the country still had about 20,000 pupil teachers in the educational system but the Government had maintained the quota system of
admission for the various colleges of education thereby denying qualified students the opportunity of training.
Alhaji Bukari was speaking in Tamale on Saturday at the Matriculation Ceremony for 285 students to pursue a three-year Diploma Programme in Basic Education.
He said the school had the facilities to admit more students to increase the number of teachers who were badly needed to improve the falling standards of education but the government had often complained of budgetary constraints.
Alhaji Bukari said 750 applicants were qualified to pursue the programme but the number had to be reduced to the 285 because that was its
approved quota.
He, however, expressed appreciation to the Government for the introduction of Mathematics and Science scholarships of which some students
would become beneficiaries.
The initiative would enhance students' interest in the subjects, he noted.
The Principal of the College said though the strategic plan of the college was to give 50/50 opportunity of admission to males and females, the females had not been able to meet the requirement of aggregate 24, explaining, however, that this year had seen some improvement.
He said the school was able to admit 100 female students out of the 285 students for the first time and expressed the hope that the females would improve their chances by getting good grades.
To the students, he said, teaching is a noble profession, which they had chosen and should, therefore, be committed to their studies.
He warned that acts of laziness, drunkenness, drug abuse and other social vices would not be tolerated.
He commended the staff and students for their hard work, which had improved the academic performance of the school and urged them to keep it up.
The school which was set up in 1960 currently has a student population of 820.
Mr Chikpa Demiakor, an educationist and the chairman for the occasion, urged the students to take their studies seriously, saying that as teachers, they must be knowledgeable, disciplined and role models to their communities.
He said they must be smart and abreast with time to be able to efficiently carry out their duties.