Since October 2018 Ghana’s 46 public CoEs have been delivering the new B.Ed. in Initial Teacher Education, which has been carefully designed to ensure that it produces a cadre of skilled, knowledgeable, and motivated Ghanaian teachers who meet the requirements of the National Teachers’ Standards (NTS). A team of international assessors has described the content of this B.Ed., which was written in collaboration with a team of 105 Ghanaian educators, as being “truly world class.” The teacher education reforms are driven by a desire to ensure that Ghana produces teachers who can inspire learners and encourage critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity rather than simply focusing on factual recall to pass written examinations.  

 The new B.Ed. curriculum, underpinned by the National Teachers’ Standards, has the rigour and depth to educate teachers who make a difference to young people in the classroom. Each of the CoEs is affiliated with one of five public teaching universities that provide guidance and support as well as operating weekly professional development and learning sessions for tutors.  

The new B.Ed. curriculum blends content and pedagogy so all tutors model the behaviour and practices expected of teachers in basic school classrooms while teaching student teachers. Assessments also now focus on Supported Teaching in School (teaching practice in partner schools), continuous assessment, and portfolio building as well as final written examinations in line with a National Teacher Education Assessment Policy (NTEAP).  While the current batch of B.Ed. student teachers will not enter basic school classrooms until 2023, the changes in teacher education have already achieved impressive results.  

This film featured a lead Ghanaian educationist, Prof. Jophus Anamuah-Mensah, who talked about what the processes were in the writing of the new curriculum and what the vision of the curriculum is. His talk is combined with voices of B.Ed student teachers on what they find great about the B.Ed. curriculum and their aspirations for the kind of teachers they want to become.