Teachers give nod to licensure exam
The three teacher unions in the country, the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Concerned Teachers Association (CTA), have agreed for the licensure examination to proceed as scheduled.
The teachers, who had earlier expressed reservations about the teacher licensing examination, took the decision at a meeting with the Minister of Education, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, in Accra.
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A statement signed by the Head of Public Relations Unit of the Ministry of Education, Mr Ekow Vincent Assuah, said: “The licensure examination shall be held more than once every year to enable all newly graduated teachers to participate”.
It said the national service period would be considered as part of the one-year post-graduation training period of all teachers.
“All newly graduated teachers should avail themselves of the opportunity of the licensure examination to qualify as ‘licensed teachers’ to enable them to secure employment as teachers.
“Discussions on teacher professionalisation must progress as agreed,” the statement added.
Background
The first-ever teacher licensure examination will take place in the colleges of education throughout the country from September 10 to 12, 2018.
The only colleges of education that will be exempted from serving as venues for the examination are the Christ the Teacher, Akim Oda Methodist, St Ambrose, McCoy, Cambridge, Jackson and Holy Spirit colleges of education.
The examination is open to all holders of Diploma in Basic Education (DBE), Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) and Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) who are desirous of seeking employment with the Ghana Education Service (GES).
The licensure exams
The examination will be focused on essential skills for teaching, numeracy (basic computation) and literacy (verbal aptitude and essay).
The candidates will be required to write a paper each day for the three days of the examination.
The targeted candidates are those who completed colleges of education this year or those who read Education in the various universities and colleges who are desirous of seeking employment with the GES.
Briefing the Daily Graphic, the Executive Secretary of the National Teaching Council (NTC), Dr (Mrs) Evelyn Owusu Oduro, explained that all newly trained diploma holders from the various colleges of education who desired to teach would be required to write the examination in their respective colleges.
She, however, said those who completed the Cambridge, Jackson, Holy Spirit, Christ the Teacher, St Ambrose, Methodist, Oda and McCoy colleges of education and were desirous of seeking teaching jobs with the GES would have to choose the college of education closest to them to write the examination.