The Jackson College of Education (JCE), has held its 8th Congregation during which 1,027 students were graduated after successfully going through their respective programmes.

The theme chosen for the year's Congregation was, "The Role of Virtual Learning in Augmenting Quality Education in Ghana".

The ceremony which was held virtually was attended by the Deputy Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, Prof. Frederick Kwaku Sarfo, who represented the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), members of the Council of the College and a few students.

Ms Sarah Agyapong, who was adjudged the overall best student after emerging the best student in mathematics, science and education was awarded for her exceptional performance.

After graduation from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Ms Agyapong enrolled at JCE to fulfil her passion for teaching and came out as the best student of the 2019 graduating class.

The College has therefore offered her scholarship to do a two-year top-up for a degree in education, having been accredited by the National Accreditation Board to run 4-year Bachelor of Education.

Chairman of the College Council, Mr Anthony Gyasi-Fosu, in his opening remarks, congratulated the graduands, academic board and the entire staff of the College for their efforts in the three-year journey.

He said it is the focus of the College not to just provide education for its students but the uniqueness of JCE is in the creation of access, quality and relevance to the students.

"The kind of education that produces unique graduates with integrity, commitment and virtues to bring the needed transformation in our educational system are what we offer at JCE", he observed.

He said congregations are important especially in the life of every academic institution because it offers an opportunity to converge and celebrate the good work done by gallant students and academic staff.

He advised the graduands to uphold the values of the College which include integrity, stewardship, life-long learning and respect for all as they go out there to teach children.

"Wherever you find yourself, show the light, be an example, be different, unique and shine the light of our great college", he implored them.

The principal of the College, Mrs Theodosia Jackson said the college was established to bring hope for a brighter future, especially for the marginalised and less privileged in society.

"Since its establishment in 2009, we have been working tirelessly to provide education that focuses on the social, emotional, mental, physical and cognitive development of our students regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, economic status or geographic location", Mrs Jackson intimated.

She disclosed that the College had produced over 12,000 graduates who are rendering valuable services across the country, especially in rural communities where they are most needed.

She stated that graduates of JCE are of high quality and could rub shoulders with graduates from any of the regular Colleges of Education, adding that, the College always adhered to best practices in line with quality assurance measures put in place by the National Accreditation Board.

She spoke on how JCE fully utilizes Information Communication Technology to enhance teaching and learning through virtual classrooms and E-library systems accessible on smartphones and computers to meet the educational needs of the 21st century.

Deputy Education Minister, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, commended the College for the immense contribution to teacher education for the past decade.

He said the role of JCE is complementing efforts by successive governments to address the perennial teacher deficit especially in remote communities which is worth commending.