Prof Kankam Boadu, Dean of the Faculty of Business and Social Sciences Education, University of Cape Coast (UCC), has challenged stakeholders in education to increase investment in teacher regulation and support systems to enhance the quality of education in the country. He said instituting and upholding rigorous standards through regulatory practices such as licensing and certification of teachers and providing them with the needed resources like high-quality curriculum materials and assessment tools would ensure professionalism and improve learning outcomes. Prof Boadu made the case at the maiden Educational Leadership and Teacher Professionalism Conference organised in Cape Coast jointly by the Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (IEPA) of UCC and the OLA College of Education. The two-day conference, inspired by Sustainable Development Goal Four (SDG4), seeks to inspire and empower educators in educational leadership, professionalism, and research publications in the field of educatio n. It is on the theme: 'Professional education for sustainable development'. 'Everybody is focusing on quality but without a robust support system and regulations, it is a fiasco. 'You cannot go to the medical field to say you are practising if you have not got the license in that area and you cannot go to the bar to practice as a lawyer if you have not been licensed or certificated,' he said. 'These systems are important to get competent people to teach our young ones because if care is not taken it will be garbage in, garbage out,' he stressed. Educational experts and practitioners from training colleges across Ghana are attending the conference which offers a platform for the participants to present their research papers and share their findings with their peers and experts in the field. Prof Boadu intimated that when teachers were properly regulated and given the right support including continuous professional development through coaching and workshops, they would perform with maximum competence. ' With this, we can increase teacher retention by providing teachers with the support and development they need to stay motivated and engaged in their work,' he said. He noted that the country was performing creditably well in regulation, referring to teacher certification and monitoring, and added that stakeholders needed to strengthen efforts to get better. 'Ghana is doing well and progressing gradually and if we continue in that path and not leave regulations and support systems to chance, I can assure you that Ghana will get to a better place. 'Therefore, we all need to support and embark on this journey together,' he said. Dr Laud Teye Nartey, Vice Principal of the OLA College of Education, said the focus of the conference on leadership and professionalism was of critical importance to the efforts of the colleges of education towards autonomy. He said the college's partnership with its mentoring institution, UCC was a testament to their commitment to advancing educational research and fostering a cult ure of scholarly enquiry within the institution. 'We believe that by sharing insights and experiences, we can collectively elevate the standards of education in our nation,' he said. Dr Nartey added that the college was ready and eager to explore further collaborations with both local and international institutions to enhance the quality of education, especially in female participation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education. 'We firmly believe that empowering female teachers with a strong foundation in STEM-related fields is a crucial step towards creating a more inclusive and diverse educational landscape,' he added. Source: Ghana News Agency
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