The Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Mr. Daniel Fenyi, has called on the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) to initiate a formal investigation into the rising number of First Class honours awarded annually by Colleges of Education across the country.
In a public statement shared via his official Facebook page, Mr. Fenyi expressed concern over what he described as a “statistical anomaly” in the academic classifications of college graduates compared to their university counterparts.
Using a comparative breakdown of recent graduation data, he highlighted a stark contrast in the distribution of honours between the two groups.
University Graduation (Total: 485)
First Class – 9
Second Upper – 180
Second Lower – 208
Third Class – 63 Pass – 27
College of Education Graduation (Total: 485)
First Class – 122
Second Upper – 195
Second Lower – 143
Third Class – 23
Pass – 8
Mr. Fenyi questioned the credibility of the assessment standards used by Colleges of Education, suggesting that the disproportionately high number of First Class graduates does not reflect rigorous academic evaluation.
“Dear GTEC, when you’re done chasing fake ‘Drs and Profs,’ turn your attention to the Colleges of Education. The way they churn out First Class in droves beats every known standard phenomenon on assessment. They have to teach us,” — he wrote.
The post has sparked widespread debate among education stakeholders, with many calling for a review of grading systems, internal moderation practices, and external validation procedures within Colleges of Education.
Some critics argue that while the transformation of Colleges into degree-awarding institutions is commendable, it must be matched with robust quality assurance mechanisms.
Some have also pointed out that the disparity in honours may stem from differences in curriculum structure, assessment models, and institutional oversight.
However, others warn that unchecked inflation of academic distinctions could undermine the credibility of teacher training programs and erode public trust in the sector.
4 Comments
While university students are enjoying themselves in the name of absolute freedom they have on campus, we trainees don’t have such freedom so we sit up and learn as compared to university students .
Please probe into that too.
Colleges of Education have preps similar to those for Senior High School (SHS) students. Unlike university students, they do not enjoy the same level of freedom and are trained in a more disciplined environment. Are there compulsory church services or morning devotions at universities? These students are being trained to be responsible and not to stray aimlessly. It’s important to consider all the extraneous variables.
I think it’s unreasonable to directly compare Colleges of Education to traditional Universities without considering their different objectives, class sizes, contact hours, and other relevant factors that set them apart.
The freedom in which the universities are enjoying cannot be compared to the training colleges. There is a strict monitoring and self discipline instilled in trainees unlike the universities where students feel free to do whatever they like.so pls do u expect the two groups of people to perform the same?