About Jasikan College of Education
The “pith and core” of the Accelerated Development Plan was to develop Universal Primary Education. The quality of education was to depend upon the provision of suitable and well-trained teachers. This led to the opening of many Teacher Training Colleges nationwide with St. Francis Training College at Hohoe and the Evangelical Presbyterian College at Amedzofe, both in the then Trans-Volta Togoland. After these two, the then government felt that there was the need for a third Teacher Training College, which should be located in the northern part of the Region. Therefore, in 1952 the Evangelical Presbyterian Education Unit was charged with the responsibility by the government, to open this third Teacher Training College on her behalf.
Two tutors, namely the late Rev. H.B.K. Ogbete and the late Mr. P.K. Kpeto, were appointed from Amedzofe Teacher Training College to start the new college. Thus, on 21st January, 1952, the new teacher training college was opened with thirty male students at the premises of the E.P. Girls’ Senior High School at Peki Blengo because land was not immediately made available at Jasikan. The College was manned by a Body Corporate of eminent educationists. The College adopted the motto “Sapere Aude”, which means “Dare to be Wise”.
The new College was not referred to as Peki Training College but as “Body corporate or simply “Body Co.” A German – American missionary, Rev. Eugene Grau, who was then working at Peki Blengo, was appointed as the Acting Principal. Later, Mr. F.D. Harker was appointed as the substantive Principal, whose immediate assignment was to expedite action on moving the College to a convenient place in the northern sector of the Trans-Volta Togoland (now Volta Region). Nana Osei Brantuo III, the then Chief of Jasikan and Adontehene of Buem Traditional Area accepted to support and host the College, after a series of consultations and deliberations among the chiefs of the northern sector. On 12th December, 1952, the College finally moved to Jasikan and was temporarily housed in Opanin Kwaku Addey’s house.
In 1956, the College attained full co-educational status when the first batches of female students, numbering fifteen were admitted into the College. After the Golden Jubilee celebration of the college, it was hoped that there would be greater improvement in the living conditions of both staff and students as the college began a decade’s journey towards the celebration of its 60th anniversary. However, these expectations turned out to be an illusion because some of the perennial problems that bedevilled the college, since its establishment in 1952 exist to date.
These problems include inadequate accommodation for staff, inadequate classrooms, lack of an Assembly Hall and lack of a modern Science Laboratory. In fact, the need for classroom space necessitated the conversion of Harker Common Room into a classroom in the 1998/99 academic year. These problems continue to affect quality teaching and learning.