“Beyond the Pay Slip”: Educational and Religious Leaders Charge New Teachers to Embrace Digital Innovation, Discipline, and Purpose
Ghana Education Service, KIPCOE Leadership, and Presbyterian Church Charge New Educators to Drive 21st-Century Learning Through Integrity, Innovation, and Purpose
- GES urged new teachers to use digital tools to expand educational access and create alternative income streams.
- KIPCOE achieved a 27-fold increase in First Class graduates alongside major infrastructure upgrades over a 9.5-year period.
- The PCG Moderator charged educators to model personal discipline to curb rising school violence and indiscipline.
The Ghana Education Service (GES), the leadership of Kibi Presbyterian College of Education (KIPCOE), and the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG) have issued a joint call to the Class of 2026 to lead the teaching profession with strong values, purpose, and digital expertise.
The charge was delivered during KIPCOE’s 18th Congregation at the Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo Auditorium, marking the graduation of the college’s fourth cohort of Bachelor of Education students.
Purpose Over Paychecks
Representing GES Director-General Prof. Ernest Kofi Davis, Deputy Director-General Prof. Smile Gavua Dzisi encouraged graduates to redefine their professional identity past monetary compensation. Addressing the theme, “Beyond the Pay slip: Digital Tools for the 21st Century Teacher in Wealth Creation,” she stressed that while society pays teachers in currency, their ultimate reward lies in the purpose of shaping future generations.
Prof. Dzisi highlighted how digital tools enable teachers to expand educational access and democratize knowledge through online content creation and tutoring, while simultaneously opening supplementary income streams. She further reassured the graduating cohort of GES’s continued support through post-National Service resources and professional development opportunities.
A Decade of Institutional Growth
In one of his final major addresses, outgoing Principal Rev. Dr. Charles Fosu-Ayakwa reflected on his 9.5 years at the helm of KIPCOE, detailing a transformative period marked by major advancements across academics, infrastructure, and international outreach:
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Infrastructure & Digital Expansion: Construction of the 320-bed Baehler Hall, 360-capacity 60th Anniversary Block, 300-capacity Hossana Lecture Hall, campus retail outlets, and a multipurpose Amphitheatre. Digital upgrades include campus-wide fiber-optic connectivity, a 300-capacity ICT lab, 12 Smart Boards, and the repurposing of the old library into a Music Hub and Talent Development Centre.
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GETFund & Logistics Projects: Progress on the Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo-Addo Auditorium, JOY Mantey Complex, an 85%-completed 4-storey Science Laboratory Complex, and the procurement of two 33-seater Hyundai buses alongside operational vehicles.
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Academic & Global Reach: First Class honors surged from just 5 graduates in 2018 to 135 in 2025—a 27-fold increase—contributing to a cumulative total of 2,766 educators trained during his tenure. Internationally, KIPCOE secured strategic partnerships with LeMoyne-Owen College (USA) and Philippine Christian University (Manila), the latter set to establish a satellite campus in Kyebi.
Despite these achievements, Rev. Dr. Fosu-Ayakwa noted remaining hurdles, including land encroachment on the college’s 20-acre property, staff recruitment clearance delays, and the need for additional buses to facilitate Supported Teaching in Schools (STS).
Restoring Moral Ground in Schools
Rt. Rev. Dr. Abraham Opare Kwakye, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, tasked the newly minted educators with serving as moral compasses. Expressing grave concern over rising youth criminality and reports of students bringing weapons to school, he emphasized that enforcing discipline requires educators who embody personal integrity and moral discipline themselves.
He noted that KIPCOE’s combination of academic training and character formation uniquely positions the graduates to bring stability and peace to their future classrooms and communities.
The congregation brought together key stakeholders, including Prof. E. V. O. Dankwa, Chairman of the KIPCOE Governing Council, alongside traditional leaders from the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Area.
Closing her address, Prof. Dzisi urged the graduates: “Go forth as architects of a dynamic future. May your impact be measured not in cedis, but in the lives you change.”
TOTAL GRADUATES 2018-2025: 2,766,
First Class: 319 | Second Class Upper: 1,154.
By Ham A. Afeti.
Kyebi Eastern region.
