GETFund commits GH¢410m to complete abandoned college projects
The Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) has allocated an estimated GH¢410 million to complete stalled projects in colleges of education in a bid to address infrastructure challenges.
In 2023, the government began processes to construct 45 hostel facilities across the country’s 46 colleges of education, but only nine were nearing completion.
Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, disclosed that with the uncapping of the GETFund, the longstanding funding constraints had been resolved, paving the way for steady progress.
“In the past, only nine of the hostel facilities being built saw significant progress nearing completion, 11 had made some steady progress, and 25 were not seeing much work done. However, that won’t be the case now, because the GETFund is not struggling for resources,” he explained.
The minister, who was speaking at the inauguration of governing councils for seven colleges of education in Sunyani, added that stalled contracts had been terminated and would be re-awarded to ensure value for money and timely completion.
The newly inaugurated councils are for the Tamale College of Education, Bagabaga College of Education (Tamale), Atebubu College of Education, Gambaga College of Education, Evangelical Presbyterian College of Education (Bimbila), Nusrat Jahan Ahmadiyya College of Education (Wa), and McCoy College of Education (Nadowli).
Addressing challenges
Mr. Iddrisu acknowledged that colleges of education face major challenges, including inadequate hostel and lecture facilities, as well as a lack of vehicles. He revealed that GETFund had initiated steps to acquire new vehicles, including institutional buses, to replace aging ones.
“Using those old ones means that we are exposing you to risk on the roads. So, you will be given priority when the GETFund acquires the vehicles,” he assured.
Expansion and absorption
He further revealed that Ghana now has 48 public colleges of education, with three recently added — the Savannah College of Education in Damongo, the Ghana Muslim Mission College of Education in Beposo, and the Christ the Teacher College of Education in Nsoko. A directive has been issued to the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) to finalize their absorption processes.
Mr. Iddrisu also called on governing councils to collaborate with GTEC to ensure smooth leadership transitions where principals have retired.
Scholarships and reforms
On scholarships, the minister stressed the need for a legal framework to govern awards, citing corruption, nepotism, and manipulation in the current system.
“It’s real that there is corruption and nepotism in the award of scholarships in Ghana, and we should stop pretending about it and use the legal framework to correct it,” he said.
The Education Minister urged governing councils to work with their institutions to deliver quality, relevant, and higher standards of education. He also encouraged the colleges to place greater focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) to secure the nation’s future.
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