The Institute of Education has honoured 10 students from the Colleges of Education who excelled in the 2015/16 academic year. Dubbed “6th Excellence Awards Ceremony”, the awardees were selected from a total of 154 students of the 46 Teacher Training Colleges of Education in Ghana who had first class. Ms. Stephanie Tetteh Quansuwaa, from Tamale College of Education, who graduated with a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.932 in Diploma in Basic Education, was adjudged the National Best Graduating Student. For her prize, she received a citation, laptop, modem, GH¢ 2,000.OO. and a scholarship to pursue post diploma programme in the University. The nine other awardees, 8 males and a female, received a citation, laptop and GH¢ 1,000 each. Speaking on the theme “Enhancing Basic Education through Quality Professional Teacher Training”, the President of the Trinity Theological Seminary, Rev. Prof. Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante, underscored the need for professional teachers to hone their skills and competencies in order for them to avoid becoming rusty. To this end, he called for Continuous Professional Development (CPD) for all professional teachers to be abreast of the changing trends in the profession. Rev. Prof. Mante called on teachers to be role models in their communities and also suggested to authorities in the education sector to develop a course on ethics of teaching or professionalism in teaching to help teachers discharge their duties well. He was of the view that menial jobs executed by trainee teachers at college help them to fit well in the society. “After we’ve thought them the academic subjects, let us teach our teachers how to take care of their lives and that sometimes include: learning how to scrub the bathroom, dressing properly, walking properly, talking properly, eating properly”, Prof. Mante said. He used the occasion to encourage the awardees to strive for excellence in all their endeavours and urged them to aim high like the proverbial eagle. The Director of the Institute, Prof. Frederick Ocansey, congratulated the awardees on their relentless efforts, perseverance and dedication to achieve academic excellence. He noted that the award ceremony was to help cultivate the creation of a “Culture of Excellence” among students in the colleges of education to work hard for academic excellence. He called on the public, especially students, to disabuse their minds of the perception that the Institute “is too rigid and difficult to please or satisfy in students’ examination performance.” The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, thanked both principals and tutors for shaping the lives of the awardees to achieve that enviable academic height and recognition. The Provost of the College of Education, Prof. Magnus Wilmot, who chaired the function, challenged female students to strive hard to sweep more awards at the next ceremony, stressing that “Next year, if it’s not 50% -50%, it should be about 70% women and 30% men.”