The government has decided to end the teacher licensure exams in Ghana. This change will allow for a new way to qualify teachers.
The Education Minister, Haruna Iddrisu, has directed the National Teaching Council (NTC) to stop the exams and come up with a better system.
This decision is in line with a promise made by President John Dramani Mahama during the 2024 elections. He said he would cancel the exams if elected.
The Education Minister confirmed this, saying, “Yes, it is true the NDC campaigned on a manifesto promise, we will end licensure exams, we did promise and we will keep faith with the electorate.”
To make the change smooth, a special group will be formed to guide the process. Mr. Iddrisu said, “That is why I am putting this committee together to advise most appropriately how to walk through the transition, a transition from a licensure exam regime to a no-licensure exam.”
The new system will mix classroom learning with real-life teaching practice. It will become a key part of how teachers are trained.
The Minister also said that people who failed the licensure exams in the past should get one more chance to try again. He explained, “I want to say that one last opportunity of a resit of the licensure exams for those who couldn’t make it… It must also be part of your recommendations. I don’t want to prejudice your work, but I think that may be a problematic necessity.”
Apart from this change, the Minister talked about another problem – the quality of graduates from Ghana’s universities. Speaking at the launch of a new board for the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), he said some employers are not happy with the skills of new graduates.
He said, “There are complaints from the Ghanaian private sector about the quality of the Ghanaian graduate. If you do an assessment and evaluation of interviews conducted both within the public and private sectors of Ghana, you will come to find out some questions about what is the quality of this graduate.”
Mr. Iddrisu added that while some universities are doing well, others are not meeting the expected standards. He called on GTEC to look closely at these schools.
He stated, “That is not to say that our universities are not producing the best quality, they are, but I am sure there are instances that some don’t live up to the calling and the expectation, and we need you to also, as a commission, give special attention to Ghanaian tertiary institutions.”
The government’s new direction aims to make teacher training better and improve the quality of education in the country.
