Staff Development Needs at the Colleges of Education in Ghana: Evidence from the Agogo College

Abstract

The new mandate given to the colleges of education in Ghana means that the institutions are now expected to pay much attention to issues of staff development as a strategy to achieve their set goals. Given the compelling relevance of academic staff in this shift, this paper investigated the issue of staff development in the Agogo College of Education, with a particular focus on its nature and the existing needs. The study was mainly descriptive. Using census, the 33 Tutors at the College were all involved in the study, with questionnaires and interview guide as the research instruments. Both qualitative and quantitative analytical techniques were employed for the study. The study found the existence of induction and orientation as part of College’s staff development program although it was difficult to authenticate its effectiveness. Although the existing staff development policy was beneficial to the staff, it was not comprehensive enough to address the varying needs of the academic staff. In spite of the difficulties associated with accessing some of them, there existed opportunities for short courses, workshops, sandwich, full-time and distance education programs for personnel at the College to develop their professional skills and status. The institution did not conduct proper needs assessment prior to staff development programs coupled with issues of fairness related to staff development opportunities at the College. Some of the staff development needs at the College were in the areas of teaching methodology, institutional skills, management skills and leadership skills. Others were needs in the contents of some courses, information communication technology, research and publication, and mentoring and supervision. It is recommended that staff development policy in the College should be comprehensive, well written and known to the staff in order to achieve its goals and to promote consistency, continuity and understanding within the institution. It is also recommended that the College should provide both financial and non-financial supports to the academic staff who are already in the system but with qualifications below master’s degrees to enable them upgrade their skills within the shortest possible time. The College should team up with the government and National Council of Tertiary Education (NCTE) to implement relevant policy and programs that must go with its tertiary institution status.