Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch) has backed the proposed establishment of a National University of Teacher Education (NUTE), but cautioned that the reform must strengthen Ghana’s 49 public Colleges of Education rather than create another conventional public university.

In a position paper issued on Tuesday, August 25, Eduwatch said the proposed federated university could address longstanding fragmentation, uneven academic capacity, weak research orientation and limited coordination within Ghana’s teacher education system.

The organisation said, "NUTE should serve as an apex institution responsible for academic coordination, common standards, quality assurance, research, postgraduate programmes, faculty development and continuing professional development, while the 49 Colleges remain the main undergraduate teacher preparation sites."

Eduwatch warned against establishing a large central undergraduate campus that could compete with the Colleges for students, staff and resources.

It said such an approach could result in “mission drift” and recreate the coordination challenges the proposed reform is intended to resolve.

According to Eduwatch, the current system leaves the 49 Colleges dependent on six mentoring universities for degree-awarding and other academic functions, contributing to differences in assessment, grading, governance and academic standards.

The proposed NUTE, it said, provides an opportunity to establish a common framework for assessment, grading, certification and quality assurance across all 49 Colleges.

Eduwatch also wants the reform to deliver measurable financial benefits for students.

The organisation noted that payments to mentoring universities, including examination-related charges, account for about 20% of fees paid by College of Education students.

It therefore urged government to ensure that the abolition of the existing affiliation arrangement translates directly into lower student costs, rather than simply transferring those charges to NUTE under new fee categories.

“Cost reduction should be an explicit and measurable reform outcome,” Eduwatch said.

The education policy think tank further called for a sustainable financing framework covering academic staffing, faculty development, research, libraries, digital infrastructure, teaching and learning facilities, practicum supervision, quality assurance and continuing professional development.

It warned that restructuring the teacher education system without adequate financing could merely change governance arrangements without improving teaching and learning.

Eduwatch also wants NUTE to help attract and retain more PhD-qualified faculty by offering university-level academic appointments, career progression, research opportunities and postgraduate supervision.

It said quality assurance under the new system must go beyond accreditation and administrative compliance and focus ultimately on the competence and classroom readiness of teacher graduates.

Eduwatch maintained that the success of NUTE should therefore be measured by whether it strengthens the 49 Colleges, improves teacher preparation, reduces costs to students, deepens research and professional development, and contributes to better learning outcomes in Ghanaian schools.