About St. Teresa’s College of Education
MISSION STATEMENT
THE COLLEGE SHALL TRAIN AND PRODUCE COMPETENT, EFFICIENT AND DEDICATED FEMALE TEACHERS WHO WILL SERVE AS ROLE MODELS AND TEACH IN THE COMMUNITIES IN PARTICULAR AND THE SOCIETY IN GENERAL, CHAMPIONING THE COURSE OF FEMALE-CHILD EDUCATION IN GHANA AND BEYOND.
VISION STATEMENT
THE COLLEGE SHALL CHURN OUT COMPETENT, EFFICIENT AND DEDICATED FEMALE TEACHERS THROUGH QUALITY-DRIVEN LEADERSHIP TO SERVE AS ROLE MODELS AND TEACH IN ANY COMMUNITY, CHAMPIONING THE COURSE OF FEMALE-CHILD EDUCATION IN GHANA AND BEYOND.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF ST. TERESA’S COLLEGE OF EDUCATION (TERESCO), HOHOE
St. Teresa’s College of Education, an all-female institution was established on 1st November, 1961 with 35 pioneer students drawn from all the then nine (9) regions of Ghana. The College was founded by His Lordship Rt. Rev Anthony Konings of blessed memory who was the Bishop of Keta Diocese. The College was initially opened as a 2 – Year Certificate ‘B’ College and was called Women’s Training College (WOTRACO). The name was changed to St. Teresa’s College in 1964 when the institution was placed under the patronage of St. Teresa’s of the Child Jesus and adopted the motto: ‘Live the Truth in Charity’.
The aim of the founder was to establish a Catholic Teacher Training College for Women in the Diocese, which would give a sound moral, spiritual and professional education in the true Catholic tradition. The College inherited the facilities of a Sisters’ Convent which had been moved to Dzelukofe. Since the piece of land on which the convent was situated was not big enough for the new idea of a Teacher Training College, there was the need for additional plots of land. The Bishop, His Lordship Rt. Rev. Anthony Konings and the Parish Elders including Rev. Fr. John Beckers consulted the Asiamah Family of Gbi-Bla headed by the late Mr. Joseph Achyemde Asiamah who responded favourably to this worthy cause and gave out this piece of land on which we are today. We are very grateful to the Asiamah Family.
PHYSICAL STRUCTURES
From the beginning, the College had two separate storey buildings and one bungalow. The first storey building served two purposes. The top floor was the residence for the Principal and the Vice Principal, while the ground floor was the Administration Block. The bungalow was for the House Mistresses, while the second building of two storey served several purposes. The top was the dormitory for the students, while the ground floor served as the classrooms and a dining hall with the kitchen attached to the back of the ground floor – the present St. Margaret Mary Hall.
Between 1963 – 1967, there was a great physical expansion in the College. Most of the existing structures were put up at that time – the Dining Hall, Classroom Block, Staff Bungalows and the Art Shed. The great architect and builder was Rev Fr. Theo Manshanden S.M.A. The first priest who built the OLA Sisters’ Convent that became the beginning of St. Teresa’s was Rev. Fr Theodore Brockhoff. S. M. A. The recent addition to this structural improvement is the provision of two semi-detached bungalows by the Government of Ghana and GTZ (Germany) at the northern boundary of the college. In the 2006/2007 academic year, GETfund also built a six (6) unit Classroom Block and a library for the College. It is however very sad to note that the college, since its establishment, has no Assembly Hall or Chapel.
REFORMS
Just like a mustard seed, the college grew from year to year. Her first batch of trained teachers was sent out in 1963 to become her first ambassadors. In 1962/63 academic year, the first batch of Cert ‘A’ 4 – Year students arrived in the college.
A turning point in the life of the college occurred in the mid 1970s. The Government of the National Redemption Council (NRC) decided to close down the college and turn it into a Teachers’ Resource Center. The Bishop of the Ho Diocese, Rt. Rev Francis A.K. Lodonu vehemently resisted the idea. The government however, turned the college into a Resource Centre in 1975 against all pleas and advice from the diocese.
The Resource Centre therefore operated alongside the continuing students from 1975. The Bishop, Rt. Rev Francis A.K. Lodonu threatened to take back all that belonged to the Catholic Church – the parcel of land on which the college is situated and all the structures on it and change the college into a Secondary Technical School. It was this threat which weakened the strength of the government on the issue and in 1977, the Teacher Training Programme was re-introduced. The admissions that year included 20 men – a condition from government for the return of the college to a Teacher Training status. Subsequent years saw the admission of the same number and sometimes fewer men to satisfy the demands of the government of the day.Through the resilience and untiring efforts of His Lordship, Bishop Francis Kofi Anani Lodonu who strongly and still held the vision of the founding fathers, the College reverted to its original idea of training only females in 1990/91 academic year.
ROLL OF PRINCIPALS OF THE COLLEGE
Since her establishment in 1961 to date, the College has been headed by ten (10) Principals including the current Principal. The names of the Principals and the periods they headed the College are provided in the table below:
| S/N | PERIOD | NAME OF PRINCIPAL |
| 1 | 1961 – 1962 | Ms. Catherine Bagley, An Australian Grail Missionary1st Principal |
| 2 | 1962 – 1970 | Ms. Eleanor Staunton, An Irish Missionary & Lover of Flowers who contributed immensely to the present Aesthetic beauty of the compound |
| 3 | 1970 – 1973 | Ms. Justine Adjah (Ag Principal) |
| 4 | 1973 – 1978 | Mrs. Cecilia Y. Tibu (1st Ghanaian Substantive Principal, noted for her sense of African Beauty & Culture) |
| 5 | 1978 – 1990 | Mrs. Gladys B. Ahiabu, A Strict Disciplinarian |
| 6 | 1990 | Mrs. Matilda Louisa Asamoah (Ag. Principal) |
| 7 | 1990 – 2001 | Mrs. Bendicta A.N Titriku, noted for her time-consciousness and dedication to work. |
| 8 | 2001 – 2008 | Miss Josephine Rita Yempew |
| 9 | 2008 | Mrs. Juliet B.D Kumah (Ag. Principal) |
| 10 | 2009-to date | Mrs. Angelina Kutin Tandoh |
Below are the particulars of the current Principal of the College.
NAME PRINCIPAL: MRS. ANGELINA KUTIN TANDOH
CONTACT NUMBERS: 0208172898/0241305581
ACADEMIC QUALIFICATION: MED, PGDDE, B.PHIL HULL. U.K
E-MAIL: kutintandohangelina@yahoo.com
ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE COLLEGE
Academically, St. Teresa’s College is always among the best in the country. She topped the seven (7) Volta Colleges on several occasions in the Colleges of Education Examinations. In the history of the Diploma in Basic Education, St. Teresa’s College was the only female Colleges nationwide to have produced the first and only female first class student in the 2009/2010 academic year in the person of Ms Florence Adom, who was the only first class student from the Volta Region. Again, in the 2012 academic year, Ms Josephine Popielo Bagyuor of St. Teresa’s College emerged as the National Overall Best First Class student among the thirty eight (38) Public Colleges of Education in the country. We are very proud of these students for their outstanding performance. Hence, the erecting of their statues on campus to serve as a point of reference and also to motivate the up and coming students.
Professionally, the products of the college are the first choice for all head teachers who want to see real progress in their schools. They are devoted, self-disciplined and always ready to brighten the corner where they are. In the field of sports, TERESCO has no equal in the region- sweeping all the gold medals in the ladies’ division every year. In fact, the Regional Female Contingents for the national games is always dominated by the students of this college.
The college once produced a National Beauty Queen in the person of Miss Mary Coffie in 1978. Apart from the quality of teacher training given to all those who pass through the college, TERESCO prides herself in producing a good number of Reverend Sisters, Reverend Pastors and Queen mothers. St. Teresa’s College engages in co-curricular activities such as culture and Drama, Population and Family Life Education, Head of State Award Scheme, Friend of the Blind and Keep Fit Club.