BY Daniel Bampoe
The Minority in Parliament has raised fresh concerns about what it describes as the government’s silent but deliberate policy to reduce admission quotas in teacher training and nursing colleges across the country, a move they say could have dire consequences for the education and health sectors.
The Member of Parliament for Nsawam-Adoagyiri and Minority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, disclosed the development in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, citing figures from the Presbyterian Women’s College of Education (PWCE) in Aburi as an example.
According to him, the institution admitted 520 students last year, but has been allocated only 230 slots for the 2025/2026 academic year—a cut of more than 50 percent.
Annoh-Dompreh stressed that the reduction was not limited to teacher training institutions.
He noted that nursing training colleges across the country are facing similar cuts, suggesting that the government is applying a uniform quota system aimed at drastically reducing intake into key public tertiary institutions.
He warned that the policy could eventually be extended to senior high schools (SHS), a move he described as “resetting” the entire educational system without proper consultation.
This development comes amid ongoing debates about the sustainability of the flagship education reforms, particularly the Free Senior High School policy and its ripple effects on tertiary institutions.
Critics have long argued that while free SHS has increased enrollment at the secondary level, inadequate planning and limited infrastructure at the tertiary stage have created bottlenecks in admissions.
Teacher training colleges have historically served as the backbone of Ghana’s education sector, producing thousands of teachers annually to support the growing population of SHS graduates.
The Ministry of Education is yet to officially respond to the concerns raised by the Minority.
Annoh-Dompreh’s warning has already sparked debate on social media, with many Ghanaians expressing frustration over what they see as the government’s backdoor attempt to restrict access to higher education because of payments of allowance to the students.
