The Ministry of Education has set plans in motion to eliminate the existing teacher licensure exams, paving the way for a new qualification system.
This follows a directive by Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, tasking the National Teaching Council (NTC) to develop a professional alternative to the licensure exams.
The move aligns with a campaign promise by President John Dramani Mahama during the 2024 elections, in which he pledged to abolish the policy if elected.
Speaking on the matter, Education Minister Iddrisu assured that government remains committed to fulfilling that promise.
“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”.
He added that, a transition committee is being established to oversee the shift from the current licensure exam system to a new teacher qualification assessment method.
Mr. Iddrisu emphasized that the proposed approach would integrate academic training with practical fieldwork as a core component of the teacher education curriculum.
“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”.
Additionally, the Minister proposed that candidates who previously failed the licensure exams should be given one final opportunity to re-sit before the policy is entirely phased out.
“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,” he noted.
Beyond teacher qualification reforms, Mr Iddrisu expressed concern over the quality of graduates emerging from Ghana’s tertiary institutions.
He raised the issue during the inauguration of the newly appointed board of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), urging the body to take decisive steps toward improving higher education standards.
“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,” he remarked.
While acknowledging that some universities maintain high standards, he stressed that others fall short of expectations and require greater regulatory attention from GTEC.
“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”.
