Foso College of Education is 50
The Foso College of Education (FOSCO) has over the past 50 years trained excellent teachers committed to helping mould young innocent minds into future leaders for this great nation.
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In the recent awards of excellence for students of colleges of education by the Institute of Education of the University of Cape Coast, FOSCO, as it is affectionately called, produced two of the best graduating students.
Anniversary launch
The college is launching its 50th anniversary today, April 15, to celebrate its successes and map out new strategies for the college in the years ahead. The anniversary will be climaxed on November 14, 2015.
History
The Foso College of Education is situated on a one-square-kilometre land at Assin Foso in the Central Region, and was incorporated as a co-educational teacher training college by the first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, on the 15th of November, 1965 under the headship of Mr R.R Essah.
One cannot miss it from Cape Coast on one’s way to Kumasi. Its 50-year-old edifice still announces its presence to all who use the route.
FOSCO has produced over 7,200 teachers to support the development of basic education, placing it among the best colleges of education in the country.
For its academic successes chalked up over the years, FOSCO has had the opportunity to pilot every major pre-tertiary and in recent times, quasi-tertiary teacher training programme in Ghana.
These include the two-year Post Middle Certificate B programme, the two-year post “B” Certificate A programmes, the four-year Post Middle Certificate ‘A’ programme, the two-year Post-Secondary Certificate ‘A’ programme, the two-year post ‘A’ Specialist Programme in Agricultural Science and the three-year Post Secondary Specialist Programme in Mathematics, Science and Agricultural Science.
FOSCO was also privileged to have piloted the two-year modular programmes for untrained teachers, the two-year Modular Certificate ‘A’ programme, the three-year post secondary Certificate ‘A’, the three-year Diploma in Basic Education and the four-year untrained Teachers Diploma in Basic Education.
Student Population
The college has a current student population of over 1600, including 900 regular students and 725 studying under the untrained teachers diploma in basic education programme.
According to the Principal of the college, Dr Nana Asiedu, FOSCO believed that the basic school teacher must be one with character and mentorship, qualities that would help teach the children in the nation’s basic schools values for life.
He said the college, thus, gave maximum attention to building strong positive values of honesty and integrity in its students who ultimately became the future leaders.
“Our motto is ‘Character, Wisdom, Knowledge’ and that is what we seek in all who pass through FOSCO,” he stated.
He said the college’s commitment went far beyond producing quality teachers and aimed at producing teachers whose orientation was in consonance with societal and national aspirations and development.
Challenges
A total of 700 of its 900 regular students are accommodated. However, accommodation facility for female students is one challenge confronting the college, and Dr Asiedu said this had affected the intake of female students. “These female teachers serve as mentors for many girls and we must train many more of them,” he said, and called for support.
The college also has residential facilities for 37 of its 54 teaching staff. Though that could be said to be commendable, only five of its 57 non-teaching staff were accommodated on campus.
