Jackson College Of Education Makes Progress In Rural Education

The Jackson College of Education (JCE), Ghana's leading private college of education is making giant strides in the area of rural education in line with its vision to create equal opportunities for children in rural communities.

Since its establishment in 2009, the college has successfully produced thousands of professional teachers most of whom are currently teaching in the remotest parts of the country.

Products of JCE have been trained purposely to fill vacancies in rural communities to ensure children in those communities are not left behind due to the perennial challenge of teachers refusing postings to remote communities.

These were contained in a communique issued by the Students' Representative Council (SRC) of the college at its 3rd Annual National Congress held at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi.

The three-day congress held under the theme, "The Role of the SRC in Enhancing Distance Learning Education" was attended by delegates from all the 13 regions across the country.

Below is the full communique issued by the SRC;

A COMMUNIQUE ISSUED BY THE STUDENTS' REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL OF JACKSON COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AT ITS 3RD ANNUAL CONGRESS HELD IN KUMASI.

The Students' Representative Council (SRC) of the Jackson College of Education (JCE) held its 3rd Annual Congress at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) from 27th to 30th June.

The congress which was held under the theme, "The Role of the SRC in Enhancing Distance Learning Education" was attended by delegates from all the 13 regions across the country.

OPENING

Opening the congress, Mrs. Theodosia Wilhelmina Jackson, Principal of the college, called on all delegates to get actively involved in the discussions to ensure proper representation of their constituents.

Mrs. Jackson also underlined the need for the SRC to reposition itself not only to champion the cause of the entire student body but to join forces with the college to promote the training of teachers for the rural parts of Ghana.

After three days of extensive deliberations, congress came out with the following conclusions:

 Jackson College of Education (JCE) has been a game changer in the lives of the over ten thousand (10,000) students who have passed through the college since its establishment in 2009. Several thousands of others currently pursuing various courses through distance learning despite numerous public colleges of education is a testimony of the uniqueness of JCE.

 The impact of the College on its students and the education sector is immeasurable. Apart from adding value to past students to enable them secure employment, they are mostly teaching in rural and deprived communities in line with the vision of the college. There are several instances across the country where hundreds of classrooms in rural communities would have been without teachers but for the availability of JCE graduates.

 It is instructive to establish that students of the College did not enroll because of poor grades. They are equally qualified to enter any of the public colleges but opted for JCE due to its unique module that allows students to study while keeping their jobs under flexible terms. There are professionals from security services and other sectors outside education who have passed through JCE for career development.

 Most past students of the college continue to lift high the flag of the college in their various work places especially in the Northern part of the country. Some of them have received commendation from their education directorates not only for their commitment to duty but also introducing innovative teaching methods.

 There are several examples of JCE products shaping the lives of thousands of children in deprived areas. As a result, quite a number of directors of education in deprived districts are yearning for more JCE products because they are always willing to accept postings to remote communities.

 The contribution of Jackson College of Education to the education sector since its establishment can therefore not be underestimated. It is important for the institution to be given the needed recognition as the premium private college of education training teachers through distance learning. This is necessary to enable the college to produce more teachers to reduce the perennial teacher deficit in the country.

 Congress therefore calls on government to engage the college in its quest to improve the standard of education at the basic level. We are of the firm belief that a close partnership with the college can significantly reduce the inadequacy of professional teachers in deprived communities - a situation which is critical to quality education.