Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch) has endorsed the proposed National University of Teacher Education (NUTE) but with a critical caveat. The education policy think tank insists NUTE must strengthen Ghana’s 49 public Colleges of Education rather than establish another conventional public university.
This reform aims to address long-standing issues within Ghana's teacher education system. These include fragmentation, uneven academic capacity, weak research orientation, and limited coordination. Eduwatch believes NUTE should function as an apex institution. Its responsibilities would cover academic coordination, common standards, quality assurance, and research. It would also oversee postgraduate programmes, faculty development, and continuing professional development. The 49 Colleges would remain the primary sites for undergraduate teacher preparation.
The current system sees the 49 Colleges relying on six mentoring universities for degree-awarding and other academic functions. This arrangement contributes to disparities in assessment, grading, governance, and academic standards. The proposed NUTE offers a chance to create a unified framework for assessment, grading, certification, and quality assurance across all 49 Colleges. This standardization is crucial for improving the overall quality of teacher training in Ghana.
Eduwatch specifically cautioned against NUTE establishing a large central undergraduate campus. Such a campus could compete directly with the existing Colleges for students, staff, and resources. This approach, Eduwatch warned, could lead to “mission drift.” It might also recreate the very coordination challenges the NUTE reform intends to solve. The organization emphasized that the focus must remain on enhancing the existing infrastructure and capabilities.
Furthermore, Eduwatch demands that the reform deliver clear financial benefits for students. The organization highlighted that payments to mentoring universities, including examination-related charges, constitute about 20% of fees paid by College of Education students. Eduwatch urged the government to ensure the abolition of the current affiliation arrangement directly translates into lower student costs. This means avoiding simply transferring these charges to NUTE under new fee categories. “Cost reduction should be an explicit and measurable reform outcome,” Eduwatch stated in its position paper.
The policy think tank also called for a sustainable financing framework. This framework must cover academic staffing, faculty development, research, libraries, and digital infrastructure. It should also fund teaching and learning facilities, practicum supervision, quality assurance, and continuing professional development. Eduwatch warned that restructuring the teacher education system without adequate financing would only change governance arrangements. It would not improve teaching and learning outcomes, which is the ultimate goal.
Eduwatch also wants NUTE to help attract and retain more PhD-qualified faculty. This can be achieved by offering university-level academic appointments, clear career progression, research opportunities, and postgraduate supervision. Quality assurance under the new system must extend beyond accreditation and administrative compliance. It must focus ultimately on the competence and classroom readiness of teacher graduates. The success of NUTE, Eduwatch maintained, should be measured by its ability to strengthen the 49 Colleges, improve teacher preparation, reduce costs to students, deepen research, and contribute to better learning outcomes in Ghanaian schools. This comprehensive approach ensures the reform delivers tangible improvements across the education sector.