Rt. Rev. Prof. J.O.Y Mante, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana has asked management of the Akropong Presbyterian College of Education (PCE) not to divert from the Presbyterian style of instilling discipline among trainee teachers of the institution.

According to him, despite the transition of Colleges of Education into degree awarding tertiary institutions, the issue of instilling the proverbial Presbyterian discipline at the College should not be lost.

The moderator made this remark at the investiture and induction ceremony of Rev. Dr Nicholas Apreh Siaw as the 25th Principal of the Akropong College of Education in the Eastern Region.

Prof. Mante said though the Presby Church required of the management, staff and student of the College to strive for excellence, it is also important to ensure that “graduates produced from the school come out knowing that they have been in a Christian, and for that matter, Presbyterian institution of higher learning.”

He said that the role that the Basel Mission Society, forerunners of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, played in the development of formal education, in Ghana, had a guiding philosophy for the establishment of the Akropong Presbyterian College Training Education in 1848 and now the Presbyterian College of Education was to train the head, heart and mind.

He pointed out that, aside from promoting literacy to help bring about social and moral transformation in the mission stations, the Mission Society groomed their products to create job opportunities for local people in the areas of technical and vocational skills development.

Rev. Prof. J.O. Y Mante assured the newly inducted Principal of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana’s relentless support to ensure the college took its rightful place among the league of tertiary institutions globally.

On his part, the Chairperson of the Governing Council of PCE, Dr Esther Oduraa Ofei-Aboagye said the teacher education sector was going through considerable change in order to respond to the demands of the times which required higher quality teachers to mould Ghanaian children and youth in the 21st century.

She said the College had contributed immensely to the development of the nation by training and sending teachers to all corners of the country to teach as a means of serving God and country.

In his acceptance speech, Rev. Dr Nicholas Apreh Siaw promised to work in collaboration with all staff and students of the institution in order to make the Presbyterian College of Education a centre of excellence and high discipline to attain international eminence.

He assured of his preparedness to promote academic excellence through expansion of infrastructure for teachers and students, establishment of a computer laboratory, E-laboratory and the formation of alliance to exchange ideas with other colleges across the globe.

From: David Kodjo, Akropong.