About Berekum College of Education
The college was established in February, 1953 as a Government institution with the motto PER ADUA AD ASTRA. Nana Yiadom Boakye Owusu II, the then Omanhene of Berekum traditional area released 42 hectares (103.491 acres) of land, and laid the foundation stone for the establishment of the college. Sixty male students were enrolled in February, 1953. The first principal was Mr T.T. Buchanan. Mr Alex Godwin Kwakye was the first college prefect. Three dormitories were built and named after the first three principals: Buchanan House, Nicholas House, and Stewart House. Mr I. E. Hayfron was the first Ghanaian principal of the college. The college took off with 2-year certificate B programme till 1961 when 4-year certificate A programme was introduced. In 1958, with the turning of Winneba Training College into Specialist Training College, students pursuing Certificate B programme were transferred to Berekum. The last batch of the 2-year Certificate B programme students left in 1963. In 1964, 2-year specialist programme in mathematics was also introduced. The programme was transferred to Winneba in 1966. The college became a co-educational institution when women were admitted in 1965. In 1968, 2-year post-secondary certificate A programme was introduced to run alongside the 4-year certificate A programme. The 4-year programme was phased out in 1971. Berekum Girls Secondary School was established in 1972, and it was attached to the training college, which was then a female institution. Men were re-admitted into the college in 1974. The Girls Secondary School was removed in 1975. In that year, 3-year post-secondary programme was introduced to run alongside the 4-year post-middle programme that was re-introduced in 1975. A modular programme for untrained teachers was introduced in 1984. The post-middle programme was finally phased out in 1992.
In September, 2007 the college was given accreditation to offer diploma programme. However, the first batch of diploma graduates passed out in July, 2007. Student enrolment as at September, 2009 stood at 892, comprising 595 men and 297 women. The college offered 2-year sandwich programme in Diploma in Basic Education for 527 certificate A teachers between August, 2007 and May, 2009. Four-year diploma in basic education programme was introduced in December, 2005 for 586 untrained teachers. Two hundred and thirty-one (231) untrained teachers were also admitted on sandwich programme for Teachers Certificate in Basic Education There are 40 teaching staff members comprising 33 men and 7 women. The academic record of the college has been very impressive over the years. The college has trained about eight thousand teachers, a good number of whom have served \are serving in other capacities as public servants, lawyers, accountants, lecturers, politicians, business executives, traditional rulers and media practitioners.
The College celebrated its 50th anniversary on 10th May, 2003. Among the dignitaries who attended were Hon. Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Minister of Education Youth and Sports (MoEYS), Nana Amankona Diawuo, Omanhene of Berekum Traditional Area, Hon. Nkrabeah Effah-Dartey, Member of Parliament for Berekum, Old students, the Regional Minister, Hon. Nana Kwadwo Senti, Mrs. Margaret Benneh, Director, Teacher Education Division of the Ghana Education Service (GES) and Mrs. Akua Debrah, Regional Director, GES .The theme for the occasion was MORAL DEGENERATION IN GHANA :A CHALLENGE TO EDUCATION. The Guest Speaker was Rev. Professor Emmanuel Addow Obeng, Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast.