Odekro | What has your MP done for you?

Mr Avoka

Mr Speaker, originally, it was our contemplation to continue with the Consideration Stage of the Presidential (Transition) Bill, 2010 but in

view of the other challenges that we have, the other programmes that we have, this Bill is being piloted by Leadership, particularly the Hon Minority Leader and myself and a few others. He is a member of the vetting committee where you will also have to be going very soon.

So I was wondering whether we can take item number 5, which is just the principles of the Colleges of Education Bill, even for about 30 minutes, so that we can then release the Hon Minority Leader and a few others who are going for the vetting.

Mr First Deputy Speaker

Yes, it is true; the Appointments Committee will be meeting today for the public hearing of some of the nominees of His Excellency the President. So we take item number 5.

Mr Avoka

Yes, it is just the principles and it would not be a long debate; it is a short one. So we can take that one -

Mr First Deputy Speaker

Then we can take an adjournment.
Mr Avokaz That is so.

Mr First Deputy Speaker

C Hon Members, item number 5 on the Order Paper - Minister for Education?

Mr Avoka

Mr Speaker, I would humbly want to apply for the Hon Deputy Minister for Education, Hon Mahama Ayariga to move the Motion for and on behalf of the substantive Minister who assumed responsibility just yesterday and therefore, has not tuned himself to this Bill. Indeed, it is the Hon Deputy Minister who has been engaged constructively in piloting this Bill. So I would Want to apply to you to permit him to move this Motion for and on behalf of the Hon Minister.

Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu

Mr Speaker, the Hon Majority Leader is drawing attention that the substantive Minister

Mr Avoka

Mr Speaker, Hon E. T Mensah, Minister for Employment and Social Welfare is acting.

Mr First Deputy Speaker

The point being made by the Hon Minority Leader is that he is not a substantive Minister; he is acting. He is not a substantive Minister at that Ministry.
Very well, subject to that correction, I will call on the Hon Deputy Minister for Education to move the Motion, item 5 on the Order Paper.

Mr First Deputy Speaker

Hon Minority Leader, do you have a point of order?

Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu

That is so, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker, the Bill before us is the "College, of Education Bill, 201 1." I know it was intended to read "Colleges of Education Bill, 2011". So if the Hon Deputy Minister wants to amend it - and I believe we all agree --he must state so but he should not assume that the Bill before us is "Colleges of Education Bill, 2011. It is not

Mr. Ayariga

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
Mr Speaker,-with your indulgence, I do not know if this is the stage at which it would be, properly speaking, right to amend the heading of the Bill. So Mr Speaker-

Mr First Deputy Speaker

Hon Deputy Minister, what you have to do is that you amend the Motion. You amend the Motion now because you cannot amend - We are not at the Consideration Stage. When we reach the there, then if you want to amend the Long Title, the Short Title and all those things, we would look at it there. But the Motion that you are moving -

Mr Ayariga

Mr Speaker, with your kind permission, I wish to amend the Motion to read that "The Colleges of Education Bill, 20 l 1, be now read a Second time.

Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu

Mr Speaker, the Hon Deputy Minister for Education has stated that he wishes to move - I am waiting for when he would really move. It is only a declaration of intent. Let him tell us when he wants to do it and if we have to support it, we would support it. For now, it is only a mere declaration of intent.

Mr Ayariga

Mr Speaker, I beg to move, that the Colleges of Education Bill, 201 1 be now read a Second time.

Mr First Deputy Speaker

Hon Minority Leader, he can amend the Motion on the Order Paper. Yes, he can amend it.

Mr Ayariga

Mr Speaker, my first step was to move an amendment to the Motion to now read "Colleges of Education Bill, 2011". Having moved that one -- [Interruption] -- Mr Speaker, my understanding is that I would have to wait for it to be seconded and accepted -

Mr First Deputy Speaker

Hon Deputy Minister, what you are doing is that you have realized that there is an error, so you are informing the House that it should have been "Colleges of Education Bill, 201 1" and therefore, there should be an "s" at the end of "College" so that the House would take note.
But that amendment does not affect what is in the Bill. But at least, you are giving us notice. Then when we come to the Consideration Stage, it becomes more or less consequential, then we would do the necessary corrections.

Mr Ayariga

Thank you very much. Mr Speaker, precisely so.
So Mr Speaker, I am drawing the attention of the House that the Motion is supposed to be "Colleges," with "s" at the end of "College. So it should be "Colleges of Education Bill, 2011" be now read a Second time.
I beg to move.

Mr First Deputy Speaker

Hon Minister, have you finished with your submission? You have informed the House, so now we know that it should have been "Colleges of Education Bill, 201 1". It is important. So move the Motion and after that the Chairman of the Committee on Education would come in.
Actually, what you are doing is correcting it to read "Colleges of Education Bill, 2011" and then you go ahead to move the Motion, and then the Chairman of the Education Committee submits his Committee's Report; after that, the debate - Have you finished moving the Motion?

Mr Ayariga

Mr Speaker, in moving the Motion, I would want to state _the objectives and principles informing this Bill.
Mr Speaker, in the White Paper on the Report of the Education Reforms Review Committee, it was decided that we should upgrade the teacher training colleges to tertiary status as part of a comprehensive programme to improve upon the quality of teachers who teach at the pre-tertiary level.
Mr Speaker, it is this objective that has informed or necessitated the bringing to this House of a Bill which seeks to upgrade the 38 teacher training colleges that we have in the country to tertiary status, so that they would now become diploma awarding institutions.' Mr Speaker, it would affect the governance structures of the various colleges of education and it would also affect the quality of the teachers and lecturers of the various colleges, of education.
Mr Speaker, there are other issues that would be affected by the upgrading of the teacher training colleges to the colleges of education as we presently have them and if this Bill is passed, Mr Speaker, we would have improved institutions-for the training of our teachers who would be teaching at the pre-tertiary level, mostly our basic schools.
On that note, Mr Speaker, I. end my submission.

Question proposed

Chairman of the Committee (Mr Mathia-A. Puozaa)

Mr Speaker, I rise to support the Motion and in doing so, present the Committee's Report.

Chairman of the Committee (Mr Mathia-A. Puozaa)

1.0 Introduction
2.0
Pursuant to articles 103 and 106 (4) of the 1992 Constitution and Orders 125 and 186 of the Standing Orders of Parliament, the Colleges of Education Bill, 2011 was referred to the Select Committee on Education on the 13"‘ July, 2011 for consideration and report in accordance with Order 126 of the Standing Orders of Parliament.
2.0 Deliberations
In considering the Bill, the Committee held a Stakeholders Forum on the 17* August, 2011 to solicit views from interested stakeholders and also received from the general public, written memoranda
The Committee is grateful to all the stakeholders, especially, the former Minister for Education and her Deputy, Mrs Betty Mould-Iddrisu and Hon Mahama Ayariga for their keen interest and full co-operation, the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE), National Accreditation Board (NAB) and the Ministry of Justice and Attorney- General's "Department for providing the necessary inputs and further clarifications on the Bill.
The Committee would like to also acknowledge Prof. Ivan Addai-Mensah, Prof. I. S. Djangmah and Mr Paul Effah for their valuable inputs.
3.0 References
The following documents were referred to during the examination of the Bill:
a. The 1992 Constitution.
b. The Standing Orders of Parliament.

c. Colleges of Education Bill, 2011.

d. The Education Act, (Act 2008); Act

778.

e. National Accreditation Board Act, 2010, (Act 744).

f. The Tertiary Institutions (Establishment and Accreditation) Regulations, 2010, (L.I. 1984).

g. National Council for Tertiary Education Act, (Act 454).

h. The University of Ghana Act, 2008 (Act 20l0);Act 806.

i. The University of Cape Coast Law,

1992 (P.N.D.C.L. 278).

j. The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Act, 1961, (Act so).

k. The University for Development Studies, Law 1992, (P.N.D.C.L.279).

l. The Polytechnics Act, 2007 (Act 754);

m. The accompanying Memorandum.

n. Memoranda and other submissions presented by the stakeholders.

4.0 Background information

In the White Paper issued by the Government on the report of the Education Reform Review Committee by the then Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports in October 2004, the Government stated its commitment to improve teacher education so as to be able to provide quality teaching. In fulfillment of this commitment, it was instructed that the Ministry of Education takes steps to

Chairman of the Committee (Mr Mathia-A. Puozaa)

upgrade the existing teacher training colleges to tertiary education level to produce teachers who can impact required skills and knowledge to the children.
5.0 The purpose of the Bill
This Bill, therefore, seeks to upgrade teacher training colleges to the status of colleges of education to be able to meet the challenges of the day.
6.0 Divisions of the Bill
The Bill is divided into four main sections namely:
Establishment, aims and functions Administrative provisions. Financial provisions. Miscellaneous.
7.0 Highlights of the clauses of the Bill
The Bill consists of 33 clauses. Clause 1 deals with the establishment of colleges of education and clause 2 deals with the status of colleges of education. The aims of a college of education are provided for in clause 3 and these include the training of students to acquire the necessary professional and academic competencies for teaching in pre-tertiary institutions and non-formal education institutions.
The functions of a college of education which is to provide teacher education to citizens who are interested in the teaching profession and to award diplomas and other certificates accredited by the National Accreditation Board through affiliation with higher chartered teaching institutions are provided for in clause 4.

Clauses Sand 6 provide for the governing body of the colleges, which is a Council and its functions respectively. The functions among others shall include determining the policies, over-seeing the internal organization and managing the finances and fixed assets of the college. Clauses 7, 8, 9, 10 and ll deal with the tenure of office, meetings, disclosure of interest, establishment of sub-committees and allowances of Council members respectively.

The general powers of the Council are provided for in clause 12. The principal officers of a college of education are clearly named in clause 13 and they are the College Principal, College Vice- Principal and College Secretary and their functions are provided for in clause 14 to

17.

While clause 18 provides for the internal organization of a college of education, clause 19 empowers a college of education to enact codes to determine procedure for discipline of students and staff and the assessment and the award of diplomas and other qualifications of the college. Clause 20 states the procedure for enacting codes and clause 21 provides for the Students' Representative Council.

Clause 22 to 27 deal with an Academic Board. The composition of the Board is provided for in clause 23. Clause 24 states the functions of the Board which shall include the formulation and implementation of the academic policies of the college in consultation with an affiliate institution as well as the determination of academic standards, validation and review of courses.

Committees and meetings of the Board are dealt with in clauses 25 and 26. Clause 27 deals with academic, administrative and other bodies of the college.

Chairman of the Committee (Mr Mathia-A. Puozaa)

The sources and management of funds of a college of education is provided for in clause 28 and consist of subventions approved by Parliament, tuitions and boarding fees, gifts, endowment, grants, investment and moneys from other sources approved by the College Council. Clause 29 deals with account and audit while clause 30 deals with annual report and other reports.
Miscellaneous provisions are dealt with in clause 3 I to 33. Clause 31 provides for regulations and finally, clauses 32 and 33 deal with interpretations and transitional provisions respectively.
8.0 Observations
8.1 The award of degrees/certificates
It was observed that provision has been made in clause 4(g) of the Bill for the award of certificates including degrees. The Committee further observed that there are in existence a number of Chartered teacher education institutions awarding degrees in the country and therefore, recommends that the colleges of education should be restricted to running of programmes leading to the award of diplomas and other certificates accredited by the National Accreditation Board.
8.2 Affiliation to chartered institutions of teachers education
Again, it was observed in clause 3 that one of the core objectives for the upgrading of the teacher training colleges to the college of education is to produce professional and competent teachers capable of imparting quality skills and knowledge to students at the pre-tertiary and non-formal education institutions. For the realization of this objective, the

Committee recommends that the colleges of education should affiliate to the already existing chartered teacher education institutions in the country for proper supervision and guidance.

8.3 Term of office of the Principal

The Committee further noted that there was no specified term of office for the College Principal as pertains in the other tertiary institutions such as the universities and polytechnics. It is, therefore, proposed that the College Principal holds office for a period of four years but eligible for re-appointment for another term only.

8.4 Representation of the affiliate institution on the Council Body

Under the interpretation section (clause 32) of the Bill, the University of Education, Winneba and University of Cape Coast have been mentioned as the two institutions to be affiliated to by all the colleges of education. The Committee noted that a college of education may have to be affiliated to one or two institutions depending on the type of programmes being run.

The Committee, therefore, recommends that a representative from each of these universities‘ serve on the Council of any college so affected.

9.0 Proposed amendments

In view of the above observations, the Committee proposes the following amendments for the consideration of the House:

l. Arrangement of Sections - Amendment proposed - Paragraph 5, delete "Governing body" and insert" Council" and paragraphs 19 and 20 delete "codes" and insert "statutes".

Chairman of the Committee (Mr Mathia-A. Puozaa)

10. Clause 5 -Amendment proposed 2. Arrangement of Sections-- Amendment proposed --- paragraph 22, delete and insert the following: "Academic Board of a college of, education .
3. Clause 2 -Amendment proposed - add a new sub clause after Sub clause (1) as follows: "A college of education shall be affiliated to a chartered institution of higher learning established for teacher education in the country."
4. Clause 3 -Amendment proposed _- paragraph (c), line 2, insert "mathematics ", before "information" and "and" before" communication".
5. Clause 3 --Amendment proposed - paragraph (c), line 3, delete "related".
6. Clause 4 -- Amendment proposed -- paragraph (c), line 1, after "modern" insert and innovative".
7. Clause 4 - Amendment proposed -- paragraph (g), delete and insert the following: "offer programmes for the award of diplomas and other certificates through affiliation with other chartered institutions of accredited by the National Accreditation Board".
8. Clause 5 - Amendment proposed - Headnote, delete "Governing Body" and insert "Council"
9. Clause 5 -Amendment proposed --subclause (1), paragraph ,(c), delete "convocation of' and insert "the".

Clause 5 - Ammendment proposed - subclause (1), paragraph (d), delete "the President" and insert one representative".

l1. Clause 5 Amendment proposed - subclause (1), paragraph (e), line (1) and (2), delete "of the rank of Regional Director of'.

12. Clause 5 -Amendment proposed -- subclause(1), paragraph (h), insert "the" before "non teaching".

13. Clause 5 --Amendment proposed - subclause (1), paragraph (i), line (2), delete, "degree".

14. Clause 5 - Amendment proposed - subclause, (1), insert a new paragraph after paragraph (i) to read as follows:

"one representative of the alumini".

15. Clause 5 -Amendment proposed-- subclause (1), paragraph (j), delete "four" and "three" and insert "three" and "two" respectively.

16. Clause 5 -Amendment proposed - subclause (2), line (2) delete "ex- officio- members" and insert" non- voting".

17. Clause 6 -Amendment proposed - subclause (1), paragraph (b), delete "determine" and insert" approve" and after "programmes" insert "developed by the academic board Within the broad government policy".

18. Clause 6 -Amendment proposed - subclause (1), paragraph (c), line 3 , delete "facility" and insert" Faculties".

Chairman of the Committee (Mr Mathia-A. Puozaa)

19. Clause 6 Amendment proposed - subclause (1), paragraph (i), line 1, delete "the" and insert "policy matters on"
20. Clause 6 --Amendment proposed -subclause (3), line l, after "may" delete "refer to an" and insert, "seek the advice of the" and after "Board" insert "on".
21. Clause 12 -- Amendment proposed -- line 2, delete "it" and » insert" the Council" and delete "its" and insert "the".
22. Clause 13 --Amendment proposed -- paragraphs (c) and (d), delete.
23. Clause 14 -Amendment proposed-- add the following new subclauses (3) and (4) as follows:
"(3) the College Principal shall hold office for a period of up to four years and shall be eligible for re- appointment for another term only.
(4) Subject to subsection (3), the terms and conditions of service of the College Principal shall be determined by the Council and specified in the letter of appointment of the College Principal".
24. Clause 16 --- Amendment proposed -- add a new subclause (4) as follows:
"(4) the College Vice Principal shall hold office for a period of up to three years and shall be eligible for re-appointment for another term only".

25. Clause 17 -- Amendment proposed - subclause (4), paragraph (b), line 1, delete "codes" and insert "statutes".

26. Clause 18 -Amendment proposed - subclause (1), line l, delete "further".

27. Clause 19 - Amendment proposed -- Headnotes, delete "Codes" and insert "Statutes".

28. Clause 19 Amendment proposed - line 2, delete "codes to deal with the following: " and insert "statutes to:"

29. Clause 19 -- Amendment proposed - paragraph (t), line 1, before "assessment" insert "teaching", and in line2, delete "degrees".

30. Clause 19 Amendment proposed -- paragraph (i), line 2, delete "codes" and insert "statutes".

3l. Clause 20 -- Amendment proposed -- line 1, delete "code" and insert "statute".

32.Clause 20 - Amendment proposed .- paragraph (a), lines 1 and 3, delete "codes" and insert "statutes".

33 Clause 20 --Amendment proposed - paragraph (c), lines 1, 3, 4 and 6, delete "code" and insert "statute" and in paragraph (d), lines 1 and 4, delete "code" and insert "statute".

34. Clause 21 - Amendment proposed - Headnotes, delete and insert the following:

"Students' Representative Council".

Chairman of the Committee (Mr Mathia-A. Puozaa)

"21. (1) Each college of education shall have a Students Representative Council.
(2) The Students' Representative Council is responsible for representing students duly admitted and registered to study at the college of education.
(3) The constitution of the Students, Representative Council shall:
(a) be drawn up by the student subject to the approval by the Academic Board; and
(b) conform to this Act, the statutes of the college of education and any other rules, regulations, directives and edicts duly issued by the college of education".
35. Clause 22 -- Amendment proposed- Headnotes, add after "Board" insert "of a college of education".
36. Clause 23 --- Amendment ' proposed - Headnotes, delete "a" and insert "the Academic".
37. Clause 23 - Amendment proposed -- line 1, delete "A" and insert "The".
38. Clause 23 -Amendment proposed -- paragraphs (a) and (b), delete "a" and insert "the".
39. Clause 23 - Amendment proposed -- paragraph (c), delete and insert "heads of the academic divisions, departments and faculties of the college".

40. Clause 23 -- Amendment proposed- after paragraph (c), insert the following new paragraphs (d), (6), (f) and(g):

"(d) one representative of each academic department;

(e) the college librarian;

(f) the college secretary who is the secretary to the Board; and

(g) any other person prescribed in the statutes of the college".

41. Clause 24 -Amendment proposed -Headnotes, delete "a" and insert The

Clause 24 -- Amendment proposed- subclause 1, line 1, delete "A" and insert "The".

42. Clause 24 - Amendment proposed-- paragraphs (a) and (b), line 2, insert "chartered" before "institution".

43. Clause 24 - Amendment proposed - paragraph (c), after "courses" insert "in consultation with an affiliated chartered institution".

44. Clause 24 -- Amendment proposed - paragraph (d), after "students" insert "in consultation with an affiliated chartered institution".

45. Clause 24 - Amendment proposed - paragraph (f) delete "degrees" and after "certificates" insert "in consultation with an affiliated chartered institution".

46. Clause 24 -- Amendment proposed -- paragraph (g), line 2, delete "scholarship" and insert "scholarships".

Mr First Deputy Speaker

Hon Ranking Member, the Report indicated that they would award degrees. What kind of degrees would they award‘? [Pause]
Hon Minister for Communication Alhaji?

Minister for Communications Alhaji Haruna Iddrisu) (MP)

Mr Speaker, thank you very much for the opportunity to

associate myself with the Motion ably moved by the Hon Deputy Minister, Hon Mahama Ayariga and in doing so, to refer you to paragraph 8(ii), page (4) of your Committee's Report.

Mr Speaker, in doing so, I would relate the same paragraph to paragraph 8 (iv) of the Co1rnnittee‘s Report, and with your indulgence, I beg to quote:

"Again, it was observed in clause (3) that one of the core objectives for the upgrading of the teacher training colleges to colleges of education is to produce professionals ..."

Mr Speaker, I am interested in the last line.

"...should affiliate to the already existing chartered teacher education institutions in the country."

Mr Speaker, the Committee must offer some additional explanation, whether or not there exists even in this country, chartered teacher education institutions.

Papa Owusu-Ankornah

Mr Speaker, on a point of order.
Mr Speaker, we know by our laws that a tertiary institution should be chartered. So the Universities of Cape Coast and Education, Winneba are chartered institutions for training teachers.

Mr Mahama Ayariga

Mr Speaker, I think that is not entirely accurate. The current universities running programmes leading to the award of degrees that are for professional teachers are public universities established by law. Chartered universities are private universities that have received presidential charter after they have met all the requirements of chartering.
So one cannot say that the University of Cape Coast,--which is by‘ law established and one of its functions is to train professional teachers, is a chartered university. No, it is a university all right. But it is not a chartered university according to the law establishing the National Accreditation Board -

Mr First Deputy Speaker

The question is not whether it is a chartered university, but whether it is a chartered teacher education institution. That is the language of the Committee's Report.

Mr Ayariga

Mr Speaker, I think that the intention of the Committee is to make reference to the University of Cape Coast, the University of Education, Winneba, et cetera. But the use of the word "chartered" there is an inappropriate expression. Strictly speaking, bylaw, we all understand them to intend to refer to the University of Cape Coast and the University of Education, Winneba. A better way would have been "mandated" to train teachers, not "chartered" to train teachers, strictly speaking.

Mr First Deputy Speaker

Hon Members, while we contribute to this debate, I want you to clarify the position which the Committee's Report has captured; it is in the Bill, that colleges of education will award degrees- Would they award PhD Degrees‘? Would they award Masters Degrees, so that we are very clear in our minds what type of degrees we are talking about.

Alhaji H. Iddrisu

Mr Speaker, mine is not to raise issues on conflict; what we do want is an improvement on the Committee's Report and clarity that the institutions they are referring to are the University of Education, Winneba and the University of Cape Coast that are known in Ghana as respectful institutions that undertake professional teacher education.
The Committee could have best merged paragraphs 8 (ii) and (iv) and even named those institutions before saying those chartered teacher education institutions - so that we would have had a better comprehension of it. But Mr Speaker, just to respond to the issue you have raised, I noted that paragraph 8 (i) of your Committee's Report and with your permission, I beg to quote:
"It was observed that provisions have been made in clause 4 (g) of the Bill for the award of certificates including degrees- The Committee further observed there are in existence a number of chartered _ teacher education institutions awarding degrees in the country and therefore, recommended that the colleges of education should be restricted to running of programmes leading to award of diplomas and other certificates."
So my understanding is that the Committee itself would not even agree with the provision in the Bill that colleges of education must award degrees. They would be upgraded to tertiary status but restricted to diplomas and certificates that have the approval of the National Accreditation Board.
Mr Speaker, let me also join in commending, in-particular, Prof. Ivan Addai-Mensah and Prof. Djangmah. I think that when it comes to the literature

Mrs Gifty E. Kusi

(NPP --Tarkwa- Nsuaem): Mr Speaker, I rise to support the Motion on the floor to approve the Committee‘s Report on the Colleges Education Bill, 2011.
Mr Speaker, I would want to support the Committee's Report which says that College Principals should be made to hold office for a period of four years but they are also recommending that the Vice- Principal should hold office for three years.
I would want the Committee to consider the number of years, so that the Principal and the Vice will have four years instead

of reducing the Vice's to three years. I do not know, maybe, they will have a reason. The Hon Deputy Minister can explain when he is winding up.

Mr Speaker, I would also want to say on award of degrees-- They say they want to restrict them only to diplomas because there are other institutions that award degrees. The institutions are few; so if they would even upgrade them and make sure that some do award degrees and some graduate when the developing of the country gets to a state that we can accommodate that, it will be better. This is because the population of the country is growing so big and private universities are springing up here and there. So if government universities "would be increased as time goes on, I think that will also be good. So these are my comments.

I thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity.

MS Beatrice B. Boateng (NPP --New Juaben South): Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity given me to add my voice to the Motion on floor, that is, the Colleges of Education Bill , 2011.

Mr Speaker, I would want to thank the Hon Minister and the Hon Chairman for ably moving this Motion‘ and I would also want to thank God for having the asset of saying that it is better late than never. This proposal, I believe, has been too late but thank God, whatever it is, it has now come to the fore. It has today seen the light and I believe the lecturers and teachers concerned would want me to convey their appreciation to the House for how far we have brought this thing.

I know the number of Motions, the number of memoranda, the number of letters, personal interactions that have gone into having this Bill being moved to day for a Second Reading and I would want to appreciate all those concerned who have made this a reality.

Mrs Gifty E. Kusi

Mr Speaker, I would want to commend all of us for the time we have spent in coming up with this Bill and to say that it is not for anything that certain observations have been made and these observations include the award of degrees or certificates. For this, we are saying that for now and for a start, we should restrict them to the award of diplomas and other certificates, hoping that with time, we could go ahead to improve upon what we have now. So that is that.
Mr Speaker, we have also talked about affiliation. I am very much concerned about this affiliation issue because just this morning, we have heard and read that some students in one of our private universities, almost 700, have been asked to go home for not having the entry requirements.
The question is, how did they find their way into the universities? What were the criteria that were put down by the affiliated institutions that were guiding them? If they were going strictly by them, why will this thing happen to confuse a lot of students, their parents and the country as a whole? Huge fees and the like - I spoke on one of the radio stations and proposed that if they had agreed to refund their moneys to them, it should not be just the moneys they have given to them.
They should charge them on the prevailing interest rate‘ and then they should also consider the emotional trauma, other problems that they might have associated with --- the embarrassment --- and pay whatever they are to them. It is for this reason that I am also trying to stress that these ‘colleges of education, as they come into being, should take every observation that we have made to the letter and they should go strictly by the affiliated institutions,

what they have set up for them, so that we do not have a situation of this nature happening again.

Mr Speaker, I also think that there are a few things that the Hon Ranking Member has enumerated as needs to put them on their feet. They are very necessary. But then we also expect the Board, whoever is in charge of running this institution, to also move ahead. They should be innovative enough to try to come out with good things, to be seen to be new wine in a new bottle and not new wine in an old bottle, so that sooner, we would have very progressive colleges of education in the offing.

Mr Speaker, I am also trying to say that Government should also play its part. We do not like the lip-service that normally characters a lot of things that we do here. We really Want to see things happening. If it is infrastructure, they should be put forward quickly, so that they start working. If it is managerial things, they should be put in place to see them start work as soon as possible, so that all these efforts that we have put in to come that far with this Bill, will not be in vain. I would want to congratulate all and urge the House to move for its acceptance when it comes to the final Vote.

Mr Speaker, thank you for ,this opportunity.

Mr Theophilus T. Chaie (NDC - Ablekuma Central)

Mr Speaker, I am very happy that today this issue is before Parliament and at the end of the day, Hon Members of the House will unanimously approve this Bill before the House.
Mr Speaker, looking at our colleges of education, they lack so many amenities that can enhance teaching and learning

Mr First Deputy Speaker

Hon Minority Leader, will you be speaking'? Will you contribute? This is because if you will contribute, l want to hear from you, then I will put the Question. This Bill is not controversial. I have listened to both sides; it is a straightforward -

Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu

Mr Speaker, with respect, if you can grant some space to the former Director-General of Ghana Education Service.

Mr First Deputy Speaker

Is it a formal application? [Laughter]

Prof. Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi (NPP -- Techiman North)

Thank you Mr Speaker.
Having contributed to the discussions on the Bill, I can only recommend strongly that we all support -it but I wish to make two quick observations.
The first one is, the Committee‘s Report rightly so, has not dropped a hint on conditions of service strictly for the staff who will now be in these tertiary institutions. That is a huge challenge for the Ministry of Education and I hope they will start addressing it as quickly as possible. This is because once we label them as tertiary teachers, they become automatically lecturers.
Like the polytechnics did, when there was that transformation, we are likely going to face that problem, so we should begin to look at that and even look ahead to the single spine arrangement and see how we can quickly move them onto it. Otherwise, agitations on the campuses will begin with the declaration of these institutions as tertiary institutions.
The second point is on chartering. The Hon Deputy Minister for Education should have helped us in this area This is because when We came to affiliation, I

Mr First Deputy Speaker

Dr Appiah- Kubi, I will give you two minutes, if you feel strongly to contribute to this debate. Two minutes.

Dr Kojo Appiah-Kubi (NPP-AtWima- Kwanwoma)

Thank you, Mr Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to associate myself with the Motion on the floor of the House.
A lot has been said about the upgrading of teacher training colleges into tertiary institutions. Particularly, this upgrading will not only enhance the productivity of the teacher training colleges but also provide adequate and appropriate teachers for our second cycle institutions.
But while fulfilling this need, we should also be as my other Colleague has said, mindful of the fact that we are not only raising the levels but we are also meeting the expectations of the potential trainees, expectations with regard to conditions of service, expectations with regard to salary levels.
We are all aware of the never ending saga with the polytechnics, particularly with the placement of potential graduands. l think that we should start right now to get the appropriate institutions to consider these issues to avoid later, strike actions and labour unrests on the campuses as well as with labour.
Mr Speaker, with these few words, and having given me two minutes, I would like to support the Motion on the floor of the House.
Thank you, very much.
Mr First Deputy Speaker; You did very well, you operated within the two minutes.
Hon Minority Leader, make your point, then the Hon Deputy Minister will Wind up, then I will put the Question.

Minority Leader (Mr Osei Kyei- Mensah-Bonsu)

Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the Motion.
Undoubtedly, Mr Speaker, improvement in teacher education is pivotal to any educational reform. So if government is undertaking to upgrade teacher training colleges to tertiary educational institutions, certainly, it is worthy of support. In a lighter vein, what I notice is that once this Bill is passed and assented to by the President, colleges in the system including Achimota College, Prempeh College may become extinct species.
So when they describe other institutions, secondary schools that they

Minority Leader (Mr Osei Kyei- Mensah-Bonsu)

Mr Speaker, as I was saying, the intendment of this Bill is to provide improvement in the quality of teaching. If that happens, certainly, it will impact on the education of pupils and students. And because of the improvement in their own abilities and competencies, it will urge the teachers to remain in the classrooms and so, the rate of retention of teachers in the classrooms would appreciate considerably. But certainly, once their capacities are built, it comes necessarily with upping their remunerations, certainly, it will have an impact on our budget-

If we are talking about building capacities and competence of teachers, I believe necessarily, some restrictions will be imposed on entry into these institutions. That is something that we should factor in.

That being the case, Mr Speaker, if we are not careful, it will restrict the number of students who would enter these institutions. Yes, the professional teachers, it is something that we should consider- Already, the number in the system, 3 8‘, is not encouraging enough and if by elevating them to tertiary institutions, we are going to further restrict entry into those institutions, we may have to look at it. Ultimately, we should work towards increasing the numbers of such institutions-

For now, we are looking for qualitative improvement, which is good but we should also aim at increasing the numbers of such institutions; otherwise, as I have said, if already we are going to restrict

entry into these institutions, 38, not as many as we desire, it may consequentially affect the number of teachers who may come out. This is my worry. The principle is understood but I think ultimately, we should work to broaden the horizon, the number of teachers to be employed; otherwise, in the short to medium-term, we should work to expand, the infrastructure in these institutions to accommodate many more applicants while taking steps not to lower standards.

Mr Speaker, with these not too many words, l would also want to lend my support to the Motion.

Mr First Deputy Speaker

Hon Deputy Minister, you may wind up.

Mr Mahama Ayariga

Mr Speaker, let me thank the House and Hon Members for the overwhelming support given to the Motion. Mr Speaker, in doing so, let me also just register and respond to a number of issues and concerns raised by Hon Members of the House.
Mr Speaker, the Ministry of Education has already set in motion processes, machineries and arrangements to ensure a smooth transition from the teacher training colleges to the colleges of education. As teacher training colleges, they used to _be under the ambit of the Ghana Education Service and to manage the transition.
Mr Speaker, we have set up a transition committee comprising of the -Ghana Education Service and the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE), so that they can manage the transition from Ghana Education Service (GES) managed teacher training colleges to NCTE supervised colleges of education that are tertiary.
Mr Speaker, to be very frank with this House, the governance structures have also been set up though interim in nature.

Mr First Deputy Speaker

I-ion Deputy Minister, what are you being careful about? Our population is growing. So you either expand the infrastructure or you give more to the colleges of education. So unless We hold back some of these factors that have influence, we have no choice as a nation.

Mr Ayariga

Mr Speaker, I am not saying that it is not our desire. It is the desire of the Ministry of Education that We admit more into the colleges of education if this House will continue to increase the allocations to the Ministry of Education and GBS, so that we can pay more teachers for the various basic schools that We have in this country. I was just addressing the concerns of the

Minority Leader and giving him the statistics and the picture, so that we can take it up from there.

Dr A. A. Osei

On a point of order
Mr Speaker, my good Friend_has been a Member of Parliament and he has been Coming to Parliament these days. He said Parliament would increase the budget of the Ministry of Education. Mr Speaker, the Constitution does not allow us to do that. So he should increase it.

Mr Ayariga

Mr Speaker, I can tell that he Will support and approve an increment by Government of allocations to GES.

Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu

Mr Speaker, as I said, on yearly basis, the institutions are recruiting about, as he said, 9,000. We graduate about 8,700.‘ We are doing what we are doing in a very ritualistic manner and as you do know, in this year's budget alone, because what we are doing is just repeating the steps that we have been taking, we have to resort to 32,000 service persons plus an addition of about 18,000 or so volunteers, which means they are not professionals.
Mr Speaker, the quality of education Will be going down if we continue to do what we have been doing in a very regular and ritualistic manner. That is why I am saying that now that we may have to restrict entry because of the upping of the levels, how do we resolve this matter? The principle is well founded and well grounded. How do we expand in the short to medium-term, so that we affect positively the number in the class and while also maintaining the quality that we desire. That is the difficulty.

Mr. Ayariga

Mr Speaker, to conclude, I would want to - [Interruption] -- You want me to respond to that?

Mr First Deputy Speaker

Hon Deputy Minister, address the Chair.

Mr Ayariga

Mr Speaker, to conclude, I would want to assure the Hon Minority Leader and the House that steps are being taken to improve on the quality of the non-professional teachers. We now have the untrained teachers programme where we take all the non- professional teachers and send them to the same Colleges of Education and then take them through a professional training programme and then bring them back to the classrooms. So there is work going on to addresse the issues that he has raised.
On that note, Mr Speaker, let me thank this House for the support that has been given to this Bill. It will go a very long way in improving upon the quality of education at the basic level.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr First Deputy Speaker

Thank you very much, Hon Deputy Minister.
Hon Members, that brings us to the end of the debate on the Motion.
Question put and Motion agreed to.

The Colleges of Education Bill, 2011 was read a Second time.

Mr G. K. B. Gbediame

Mr Speaker, as you are aware, the Appointment Committee will be vetting nominees. Other committees are also meeting. It is in the light of this that I beg to move, that this House do now adjoin and reconvene tomorrow at 10.00a.m.

Mr Ambrose P. Dery

Mr Speaker, i11 seconding. the Motion, I would like to state that the committees, especially the Finance Committee will be given sufficient time to do a thorough job on the Master Facility Agreement and help this House to rectify any shortcomings that are there. So I wish all the committees successful deliberations.
With that, I beg to second the motion.
Question put and Motion agreed to

Debates of 9 Feb 2012

BILLS--SECOND READING

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ADJOURNMENT