The University of Cape Coast has hosted the 56^th World Assembly of the International Council on Education for Teaching (ICET) Conference on the theme “The Changing Global Perspective on the Role of Teacher and Teacher Education.”

.The three day conference was attended by participants from 17 countries across the world to deliberate on strategies for the preparation of the teacher for the 21^st Century as well as advancing the objectives of ICET to create opportunities for dialogue and sharing best practices that would support the preparation of the contemporary teacher.

Delivering the keynote address the Chairman of the Educational Research Network for West and Central Africa (ERNWACA), Professor Pai Obanya, called on African governments and policy makers to attach importance to education through massive investment in the sector.Professor Obanya noted that there was the need to provide the requisite facilities that would effectively enhance teachers training to allow them to play their critical role in the socio-economic development of the nation.

The Chairman of ERNWACA expressed worry that teachers had not been given enough grooming in their profession resulting in the low self-esteem among most of them. He appealed to teachers to adopt creativity in their stressing that “creativity is the hallmark of the profession.”

The Vice-Chancellor of UCC, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, indicated that UCC was positioning itself as a Pan African Centre where young academics would receive training in pedagogy and related skills when they complete their post graduate. She noted that the Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (IEPA) was deepening its regional relevance by training sister countries that were recovering from conflict adding that “the IEPA will soon be turned into category two Institute of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).”

Prof. Naana Opoku-Agyemang, commended ICET for providing the platform for cooperation among higher education institutions, governments and the private sector to develop a worldwide network of resources for innovative programmes. She however, observed that the innovations in the Information and Communication Technology call for a repositioning of the teacher within the context of the dissemination of knowledge.