Teachers Divided Over Licensing Policy

Watchers of Ghana’s education sector can only hope for better days as more than a few turbulences seem to have recently hit the sector with other tsunamis garnering momentum to cause further unrest.

While others are excited about the introduction of the Teacher Licensure Examinations by government, others have saddled up to rain on government’s parade.

In recent development, the Teacher Trainees Association of Ghana (TTAG) have made a clarion call on all teacher trainees in the country to take part in the proposed teacher licensing and registration program.

Addressing teacher trainees at the 23rd Annual Delegates Congress at the Ada College of Education, the National President of TTAG, Mr. Jonathan Apam, allayed the fears that the policy would cut down the number of teachers that government would employ.

These fears seem to be the very ones that have instigated some newly trained teachers in the Ashanti Region to embark on a massive demonstration to discredit the said policy.

The group which call itself Friends of Colleges of Education (FCE), claims the exams is a grand scheme by the government to cut down on the employment of teachers.

But Mr. Apam says stakeholders’ consultation has be done to ensure the successful implementation of the policy.

“We would like to advice all newly qualified teachers to desist from the rumours and the misconception that the licensure exam is aimed at failing trainees to cut down the number for postings,” he stressed.

He therefore pleaded with all qualified teachers to register and prepare for the exams, which he says forms part of the posting process.

Exams again?

But those demonstrating against the policy say they are not against the license but rather, the mind-racking examinations they have to sit before acquiring the license.

“We have written a number of external and internal examinations before passing out as teachers, so why should the NTC burden us again with another examination before our licences are issued to us,” spokesperson for FCE, Eric Tetteh asked.

Clad in red shirts with red arm bands and holding placards, the members who are mainly newly trained teachers from the Teacher Trainee Colleges in Ashanti Region, marched through some principal streets of Kumasi to register their displeasure.

The demonstrations according to them would be serialized across the region and climaxed in Accra.

Licensure Exams

The licensure exams was announced by the National Teaching Council (NTC) earlier this year and has since met series of criticisms from the groups to be affected.

The NTC has however stuck to its plan and insisted the exams will be conducted for teachers within the country.

The licence, according to the NTC, will confirm teachers’ professional status and will be illegal to teach in any part of the country without it.

The licence would also grant teachers the opportunity to teach outside the country without any difficulty.

According to the Executive Secretary of NTC, Dr. Evelyn O. Oduro, a number of Ghanaian teachers are currently finding it difficult to teach in Canada as their files had to be brought back to her office for validation before they could be allowed to teach there.

By: Grace Ablewor Sogbey & Daniel Akpaloo Nyorngmor