Rev. Dr. Grace Sintim Adasi has assumed office as the 17th Principal of the Agogo Presbyterian Women’s College of Education (APWCE) with a pledge to build on the legacies of her predecessors.
At an investiture ceremony to usher her into office, Dr. Adasi assured stakeholders of her commitment to provide visionary leadership to make the College an institution of excellence in the years to come.
She said her immediate focus is to work closely with the Governing Council to develop the five-year strategic plan of the College to guide the judicious use of the resources of the College in areas of priority.
“Another critical area of collaboration will be with other sister institutions to encourage exchange programmes and strengthen internships to enhance best practices and to share experiences”, she stated.
The new Principal also announced her intention to establish a vibrant Guidance and Counselling Centre to serve as a support service for adult learners to overcome the difficult task of combining education and family life.
The Centre, she said, would be run by highly trained professionals to assist students overcome deep rooted emotional challenges and offer them holistic training, intellectually and psychologically to be fit to educate the next generation.
“I intend to put in place an effective supervisory and monitoring system that will check quality. This will include checking class attendance by both lecturers and students, the number of exercises, quizzes and assignments given to students”, Dr. Adasi furthermore assured.
She said in anticipation of increase in enrollment due to the Free Senior High School Policy, management would upgrade and expand facilities in the College to accommodate the huge numbers.
In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Principal said, the College would invest in technology to improve and facilitate teaching and learning.
Dr. Adasi also gave assurance that the College would recruit the right calibre of academic staff to produce teachers with teaching at heart. “I will ensure the College recruits academically astute, morally upright and self-motivated faculty”, she vowed.
Mrs. Theodosia Jackson, Principal of Jackson College of Education (JCE), said that appointment of Dr. Adasi is testimony of how women are contributing to national development in all sectors of the economy.
Mrs Jackson said the leadership qualities of women in shaping public institutions over the years is not in doubt and called for more leadership roles to be given to women to especially to spur them on and to inspire excellence in young ladies.
She applauded government for the implementation of the Free Senior High School Policy and urged future governments to sustain and improve it ensure access to education for Ghanaian children.
Mrs. Jackson also appealed to government to take another look at taxes being paid by private tertiary institutions who are also training Ghanaian children to improve access at the tertiary level.