About Dambai College of Education

COLLEGE HISTORY

A BRIEF HISTORY OF DAMBAI COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

Introduction

Getting to the end of the year 1973, it became apparent that there was the need to establish a Teacher Training College (TTC) in the northern-most part of the Volta Region to train teachers for the area and the nation at large.

The first meeting on that issue was held at Banka Local Authority Primary School, Banka- Dambai. In attendance were the then Minister of Education, Col.E.O. Nyanteh, the Volta Regional Director of Education- Mr. Akoto Ampaw, Mr. Okyere Henaku, Chiefs and Elders from Dormabin and Tokurano and members of the Dambai Town Development Committee. The Minister informed the meeting about the urgent need for a training college to be established in the area to absorb the qualified students from the Krachi Secondary and Nkwanta Secondary Schools to trained as teachers for that part of the region so as to minimize the setback in education created by the lack of qualified teachers to man the schools in the area.

Mindful of the land and chieftaincy disputes that bedeviled Dambai at the time, the late Nana Okunte suggested that the College be established at Dormabin instead of Dambai as originally proposed. However, the late Nana Kokroko II of Borae retorted that the prerogative was his to decide on who had the legitimate rights to occupy what position and who had a title to which land. Hence, the Town Development Committee should go ahead to establish the college where they proposed to locate it. This declaration was welcomed by all and the Town Development Committee was empowered to go ahead with plans without interference from any chief or person.

ESTABLISHMENT OF THE COLLEGE

In the year 1974, the Chairman of the Town Development Committee (TDC), the late Opanyin Kwame Awuranyi empowered his Vice Chairman Mr. Godfried Kwaku Ayesu to spearhead affairs regarding the establishment process. After the first meeting at Banka, it was proposed that Banka be made the site for the college to be named Banka Teacher Training College. This decision was cancelled and the Vice Chairman of the TDC suggested the present site which was debated at length and eventually accepted.

The Minister of Education, Col. E.O. Nyanteh and the late Akoto Ampaw visited the second time to take the final decision on the site of the college. Before they departed, they promised the TDC of a training college for the people of Dambai to be known and called Dambai Training College (DATCO).

A week after their departure, the premier Principal of the College, Mr. George Narh Bosumprah and his Vice Principal Mr.E.K. Dogbey reported to start work. By this time, no structures were available for the take off. In the face of these constraints, Mr. G.K. Ayesu, Vice Chairman of the TDC quickly roofed his uncompleted building and released part of it to be used as classrooms for the time being. Since there was no kitchen available, the town folks were mobilized to construct a make-shift kitchen and they quickly did.

OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE COLLEGE

The Dambai Teacher Training College officially opened on 4th October 1974 with thirty-five (35) students who were males drawn from all parts of the country. The initial staff included Messrs G.N.Busumprah from Ada, Principal; E.K. Dogbey from Nkonya – Vice Principal; Nana Kanya from Bejamse- Agriculture Science Master, and Mr. E.K.Agbo,a tutor and Senior House Master.

Before the arrival of the 35 pioneer students, the Principal left for the Regional Office to seek for funds for the take off. The Vice Principal approached Mr. Ayesu for money to feed the students for the time being while awaiting the return of the Principal. Mr. Ayesu advanced forty-five thousand old cedis (45000.00) which is today’s forty-five Ghana Cedis (¢45.00) for the students’ up keep. The Principal on his return went to Mr.Ayesu to refund the said amount but Mr. Ayesu said he gave that to charity. This gesture made Mr. Bosumprah to bestow the title: “The Father of the College” on Mr. Ayesu. The Charge Office of the former Dambai Police station was the first classroom of the college while its long veranda served as the dining hall. Since the owner, Mr. Ayesu shared the building with the students; he supplied them with electricity free of charge for the initial two years.

In the second year of the college, on the advice of Mr. G.K. Ayesu, the college changed to a co-educational institution admitting for the first time, twenty- four (24) women. In the light of this, the problem of accommodating the female students arose. The Dambai Chief Imam’s house which was originally rented for Administration Block was quickly fenced to house the ladies. With the intake of 70 students each year, it became imperative that additional accommodation be provided.

The few classrooms available were also used as dormitories at night. To avoid the drudgery of re-arranging the classrooms each night for sleeping places and each morning for classes; the students decided to construct thatch roofed structures to serve as classrooms.

A few months later, the late Blaise, of Blaise Constructions won a contract from the Government of Ghana for the construction of temporary wooden structures to serve as Dining cum Assembly hall, Administration Block, Library and the Principal’s residence. What was more heartening was the readiness of the students to stand up to the challenges that faced them.

To ease the water problem, Messrs Blaise Construction constructed a dam behind the ladies’ dormitory (Unit Hall) around the present bore hole where students could fetch water for their daily use.

The programmes offered in the College have gone through upgrading from 2-year Cert ‘B’; 4-year Cert ‘A’, 2-year Post-Secondary Cert ‘A’, 3 – Year Post-Secondary Cert “A” and now Diploma in Basic Education (DBE), Dambai College of Education is now a tertiary educational institution as a result of the elevation of teacher training colleges into tertiary institutions with focus on training of more qualified basic school teachers. This took effect with the passage of the Colleges of Education Act, Act 847 in 2012.

ROLL CALL OF HONOUR