Government is actively examining plans to establish a dedicated National Teacher University at Peki in the Volta Region, with the Minister for Education, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, disclosing that all 48 constituent Colleges of Education across the country could eventually become affiliated colleges under the new institution.
Speaking on the initiative, the Minister said the proposal forms part of a broader push by President John Dramani Mahama to expand access to higher education nationwide, with the Peki-based university envisioned as a specialised institution distinct from Ghana’s existing teacher training universities.
Hon. Iddrisu explained that government was carefully examining the possibility of converting an existing facility, GAFCO in Peki, into the headquarters of the proposed institution, with the surrounding network of teacher training colleges folded into its structure as constituent colleges.
“This will be a dedicated teacher university with all the other teacher training colleges becoming constituent colleges of that university.”
Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, Minister of Education
When pressed on how the new institution would differ from established teacher education universities such as those in Winneba and Cape Coast, the Minister confirmed that the Peki project was intended to be a distinct, standalone institution rather than an extension of either existing university, suggesting a deliberate effort to create a fresh, dedicated home for teacher education in the country.
Home for an English Language Centre of Excellence
Beyond its core function of training teachers, the Minister floated the idea of situating a specialised English Language Centre of Excellence within the proposed university, describing it as a facility that could strengthen language instruction capacity within the broader teacher education system.
The suggestion indicates that the Peki institution, if established, could extend beyond general teacher training to house specialised academic centres addressing specific gaps in Ghana’s education system.
The Peki proposal was framed by the Minister as one strand of a broader presidential directive to establish additional public universities in regions currently underserved by tertiary education.
He disclosed that President Mahama had tasked him with assembling a committee to work on the establishment of new institutions of higher learning, research and innovation, with an ambition of having such an institution in every regional capital across the country.
“President Mahama tasked me to put the committee together which will work on the establishment of additional public universities in Ghana.”
Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, Minister of Education
He noted, however, that any final decision on the National Teacher University would await the outcome of the committee’s work before proceeding further, describing the current discussions as preliminary rather than conclusive.
UMaT Campus Expansion Feeds Into the Broader Plan
Linking the Peki proposal to other ongoing university expansion efforts, the Minister referenced his recent visit to Kenyasi, where he opened a new campus of the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), traditionally based in Tarkwa.
He disclosed that he had that same afternoon directed a letter to the GETFund administrator requesting an allocation of GHS100 million under the 2027 GETFund formula to support the take-off of the Kenyasi campus, with plans to eventually expand it into a full university situated between Kenyasi and Acherensua in the Ahafo Region.
He added that similar university establishment efforts were also being considered for the Western North and Oti regions, reinforcing the scale of government’s ambition to expand tertiary education access well beyond the country’s traditional university towns, though he stressed that all such plans remained subject to the recommendations of the committee reviewing new public university establishments.
The National Teacher University proposal comes as the Ministry juggles several other pressing priorities, including preparations for approximately 603,000 candidates awaiting BECE results, ongoing efforts to resolve challenges with the computerised school placement system, and a push to boost interest in technical and vocational education through a dedicated TVET Fund currently before Cabinet.
Taken together, the Minister’s disclosures point to a government pursuing simultaneous expansion on multiple fronts, from new regional universities and a specialised teacher training institution at Peki to infrastructure upgrades for existing schools, all framed as part of a coordinated effort to reshape access to education across Ghana in the years ahead.
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