Presby College discusses ways of improving students’ performance
Presbyterian College of Education (PCE) at Akropong-Akuapim in the Eastern Region organised a stakeholders’ conference last Tuesday on ways of improving performance of students at the college.
Advertisement
The event formed part of the college’s drive to help place the performance of female students at par with that of their male counterparts.
Participants in the event included parents, students, education officers, alumni, the Clergy and retired staff of the college.
Despite the impressive performance of students of the college over the years, there has been a big disparity between female and male students.
Such a situation, the Principal of PCE, Reverend Samuel Antwi, said, could negatively affect the college in its efforts to produce well-trained male and female teachers if not addressed.
“In 2015, all the 11 first class students were males, while last year only two of the 12 first class students were females. There is, therefore, the need to help our female students catch up with their male counterparts,’’ he said.
T-tel
In 2016, the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) gave the PCE a grant of GH¢ 60,000 to help improve the performance of female students in the college.
The grant was part of a programme known as “Transforming teacher education and learning’’ (T-tel).
Initiated by the government with sponsorship from the DFID, the programme aims at providing support for the various colleges of education to help improve teaching and learning.
Under the scheme, the colleges can apply for support on any concrete plan that will improve teaching and learning in their institutions.
Rev. Antwi said PCE decided to apply for the grant and use it to improve the performance of its female students.
He explained that the grant was to cater for remunerations for the teachers who would take part in the project, refreshments for the students and also the provision of learning materials that would help in the teaching of the students.
“Our intention is to produce well–trained teachers for the education industry; but we must ensure that all our students, irrespective of their gender, are given the necessary support to excel and come out with the requisite skills, expected of a teacher,’’ he said.
Contact hours
On how the project would work, Rev. Antwi said the college would increase the contact hours between teachers and the female students.
He said the female students would have additional two hours of classes after the normal class hours.
“During weekends, the female students will have additional two hours. When school vacates, they will have the option of either staying on for one week or going home and coming back to the college a week earlier than the reopening date to get additional contact hours,’’ he mentioned.
The principal further added that motivational and other skill seminars would be organised for the target students.
“The programme will be for a period of two years, after which the college and DFID will evaluate and assess its impact. With time, the programme will be expanded to cover all students,’’ he said.
