The Crest of Christ the Teacher College of Education embodies a Cross and two Adinkra symbols, namely, Hwjmudua and Sankcfa.
The cross is a basic symbol for Christ after whom the college is named. The cross is a reminder to us that nothing comes easy; Jesus suffered before his triumph over evil to bring us salvation. Through sacrifice and hard work, we are confident to achieve our goals in education and life. Christ the teacher taught us many things including a prayer in which we call God, “Our Father”. Christ is the way, the truth and the life; through his sacrifice, we have a loving relationship with our Father (cf. John 4:16). Just as his ministry was disciple-centered so are we student-centered in our vocation of teaching.
Hwjmudua (sj wo hwehwjmu a na wo hunu mu) literary means when you examine a thing, its content or value will be known; when you shake nunum (a scented shrub) you will know its scent. Hwj mu means ‘look in’, and dua refers to ‘stick’, therefore, Hwjmudua represents the stick or rod which is used to ‘look in’ or ‘measure’ things. The philosophy of this symbol finds practical application in all aspects of life by upholding high-quality standards and abhorring mediocrity. In general, it is an instrument for investigation and critical examination of self, others and things; it ensures quality control of products and the maintenance of standards for excellence. For our College, Hwjmudua is a cue to produce a high calibre of good teachers who are very professional and committed to serving the needy.
Sankↄfa(sj wo werj fi na wo Sankcfa a yjnkyi) literary means “if you forget and go back and take, it is no taboo”. Sankↄfa, is aproverbial bird that has her feet pointing in the forward direction; but at the same time, its head is turned backwards. The motif of this symbol implies that the past will always have relevance for us today and tomorrow. It promotes the idea of acquiring wisdom and knowledge from history and not repeating the mistakes of the past. In other words, we learn from the past to develop effectively our present and future situations. Sankↄfa (go back and take) is pivotal among Adinkra symbols; it represents a list of positive reversions, such as renewal, revival and rejuvenation. In particular, it stands for the need to renew our traditional values of love for life, fear of the Lord, and respect for communal life that enriched our traditional society.
Hwjmudua is intentionally placed upon Sankↄfa to indicate that our educational vision for excellence and measurable outcomes rests on what is proven and reliable. Hence, we focus on the basics of education: reading, writing, arithmetic, ICT and morality. The importance of reading cannot be over-emphasized in any field of study; it promotes independent learning and enhances effective communication at all levels more so in this age of information technology. Writing enables teachers to train students to be creative, innovative, relevant, interesting, entertaining, educative and informative in any field of study. Arithmetic and science provide the foundation for quantitative and qualitative research to uncover solutions to human problems. It also teaches the art and method of correct reasoning or logical analysis. Finally, we believe that morality (religion) forms people to be God-fearing, ethical and holistic in all spheres of life, thereby promoting the values of Love, Openness, Transparency, Accountability, Leadership, Justice & Peace, and Innovation (LOTALJPI) that the world yearns for so earnestly.
MOTTO
Our motto in Latin is Timor Domini Sapientiae Initium, meaning “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (psalm 111:10). In Akan, it means Nyamesuro ne nyansa MFITIASEJ. This implies that without the Lord’s wisdom, true and lasting knowledge cannot be attained; for in him “are hidden all the treasures of the wisdom and knowledge [of God]”
(Colossians 2:3)
GREETINGS
Greetings: Timor Domini, fear of the Lord,
Nyamesuro
Response: Sapientiae Initium, beginning of wisdom,
NYANSA mfitiasej
COLLEGE EMBLEM
The college emblem has the pictorial image of Christ standing by a podium with a scroll in his hands. The image is a representation of Christ in a Nazareth synagogue reading from a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord” (Luke 4:18-19).
Today, this passage is also fulfilled in our ears as we strive to train good teachers to make a difference in the lives of their students. Our teachers are to serve in the rural areas of Ghana giving hope to students in despair. They are committed to bringing “freedom” to students who find themselves captivated by bad habits and lifestyles such as giving in to substance and process additions. More importantly, our potential teachers, in formation feel called to use discernment, human reasoning and experience to bring “sight” to students who doubt themselves to have the mind to study. Some students today feel “blind” because they cannot rely solely on physical reality, what they can observe with their naked eyes; our teacher-trainees shall be formed to perceive the wisdom of God, which includes things beyond the natural realm.
We learn from scriptures that the wisdom of the world is foolishness to the Lord. And the foolishness of the Lord is wisdom to the God-fearing. Until we understand who God is and develop a reverential fear for him, we cannot please him or fathom his relationship with us and the full meaning of life.
COLLEGE COLOURS
Blue, Green and White
Blue is the honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM), the mother of God and Seat of Wisdom(knowledge). She is the metaphorical Aberewa (old lady) that chiefs and elders consult for direction in the decision-making process. In referring to the skies, the colour blue is a reminder to dream big or aim high in all endeavours through hardwork. We should not settle for the least; the sky is our limit.
Green is the colour of the forest, the rural areas where the college is located. And in such an environment we aspire to serve the less privileged students. Green signifies freshness and a new beginning in our zealous service to God and mankind.