Al-Faruq College of Education (AFCOE) in Wenchi in the Bono Region has held it’s first-ever congregation since the commencement of the college in September 2016.

The mixed stream Islamic mission institution conferred a total of 526 Diplomas and Degrees to graduands under the mentorship of the University of Cape Coast at a ceremony on December 2, 2023.

The number includes the first two cohorts of the phased-out 3 years Diploma in Basic Education programs and the maiden batch of the new Bachelor of Education for 2022.

Addressing the congregation on the theme, "Teacher Education and National Development: Focus on Arabic Education", the Principal of the College, Wahab Sualihu, revealed that the graduands include 3 first-class honours, 66 second-class honours –upper division, and 162 lower division honours.

He said the academic performance of the college is enviable, considering the teething challenges of infrastructure and academic turbulence of accreditation in the life of a young institution.

AFCOE, now affiliated with the University of Development Studies and the only college that offers Basic Education in Arabic Education started with 205 pioneer students but now has a population of 1,177.

Mr Sualihu said despite their numerous achievements, the college continues to grapple with many challenges, including inadequate infrastructure to aid the effective teaching and learning of the trainee teachers.

“Some of the facilities are either inadequate or non-existent. There are only two small-sized staff bungalows inherited from the then-basic school. The rest of the staff, including the principal, commute from town and surrounding communities to work daily,” he lamented.

He expressed worry about the situation where the mosque in the school serves as a place for public gatherings, an examination centre, a dining hall, a lecture hall, and an assembly hall, contrary to strict Islamic principles.

The Principal sadly revealed that 7 projects started by the government upon its absorption in 2015 have all stalled, including a 2,000-capacity auditorium, administration block, lecture halls and laboratory, hostel block and cafeteria, and a principal’s bungalow.

He further mentioned other challenges such as staff attrition, the lack of vehicles to facilitate educational outreach, fieldwork and research for trainees and staff, and the inability to offer admissions to more applicants due to insufficient facilities.

Mr Wahab Sualihu, therefore, appealed to the government and other stakeholders to come to their aid to complete all stalled projects and provide other logistics to enhance effective teaching and learning.

“We appeal to Transforming Teacher Education and Learning (T-TEL) to support the college to train the large numbers of unprofessional in-service Arabic instructors across the country to improve their teaching skills,” he said.

Bono Regional Minister, Justina Owusu Banahene, in recognising the diversity Islamic Education brings, said it is also imperative to foster an environment where students are not only equipped with academic excellence but also “grounded in the principles of tolerance, respect and understanding each other, critical ingredients for peace, progress and prosperous society”.

She said teachers are the catalyst to empower other citizens with skills and knowledge for meaningful socio-economic development and therefore implored the graduates to be of high spirit to carry out their work in good faith.

The best-graduating student award for 2019 went to Matilda Ankrah Amoakoaa, while Asumah Mohammed picked the overall best-student award for 2022.

AFCOE started as a private basic school in 1991, upgraded to a private college of education in 2011 and was absorbed 4 years later. The college currently runs Basic Education programs in Early Grade, Primary, and Junior High School (with options) Educations.