Prof Koomson Spearheads Rapid Transformation at SDACOE

By Samuel Opare Lartey And Asokore-Koforidua.

The Seventh-Day Adventist College of Education (SDACOE) formerly SDA Training College located at Asokore, near Koforidua in the Eastern Regional capital, has undergone rapid transformation.

Established on 26th October, 1962 with barely any infrastructure has now been transformed with modern buildings and academically good students, and staff.

Such a rapid transformation was spearheaded only last year by the new Principal, Professor William Kofi Koomson, shortly after he was given the mantle to administer the institution.

The past eight months witnessed the rehabilitation of the college's assembly hall and kitchen, provision of state-of the art gates, multipurpose sports facility, bakery, cafeteria, and faculty restaurant.

"A modern plaza or mini mall, barbering and hairdressing saloon are on the drawing board for construction soon," Prof Koomson said.

In addition, construction work on a number of projects such as a fish pond, fencing of the residential facilities for female students, summer huts and facilities to harvest rain are expected to start sooner than later.

All these facilities, according to the Principal, were being funded through internally generated funds (IGF).

Prof Koomson who worked or lectured in a number of educational institutions outside the country, such as the United States of America, Trinidad and Tobago, said he had decided to facelift the college to be at par with any other college, especially in the developed world.

The Professor's effort to improve the infrastructure of the college to improve teaching and learning had won the admiration of others such as Thomas Svanikier, Managing Director of Svani Group of Companies who has donated a bakery van and pledged to provide a generator to the college.

At the college's 11th Congregation on Sunday during which 403 students passed out with Diploma in Basic Education, Prof Koomson assured the gathering that the transformation of the college would continue to make it the preferred choice of students in the country.

Ten of the students secured First Class, 111 Second Class Upper, 178 Second Class Lower,82 Third Class and 22 had passes.

According to the Principal, improving on resourcing the colleges of education would enhance the quality to offer Bachelor of Education degrees that could admit students from various localities across Ghana for teacher education at the basic level.

On teacher licensing, Prof Koomson said it would make the diplomas or degrees acquired by the teacher to be recognised in any parts of the world and praised the government for such an initiative.

He said the college with its vision statement, 'Advancing knowledge in teacher education for sustainable development globally through the integration of faith and learning', started as a post-primary, four-year Cert "A" Teacher Training College.

He said the college had seen a lot of educational reforms since its inception from two-year Arts specialist programme for trained teachers to a three-year post secondary institution offering vocational, commercial, home science and Arts courses.

Currently, he said, the college was running both Diploma and B.ED degree programmes in Primary Education, Junior High School Education and Early Childhood Education.

Read Full Story