Teacher licensure exam ‘insult’ to Colleges of Education – Mahama
Former president and flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama has described the Ghana Teacher Licensure Examination (GTLE) as an insult to the Colleges of Education in the country.
In a lecture delivered on his behalf by his running mate Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemand, Mahama said “In this light, the NDC will initiate processes towards the cancellation of the post-college teacher licensure examination.”
John Dramani said the GTLE is not a determinant of professionalism adding that the introduction of the examination is worrying, considering that it did not take a six-hour examination to determine the professionalism of the teachers.
The former president queried the essence of employing quality teachers at the Colleges of Education to train teachers, teach them and graduate teachers after various examinations and then subject them to a licensure examination.
In a related development, the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) following Mahama’s promise to cancel the GTLE when elected as president in 2024 has said the decision is a step in the wrong direction.
Citing the importance of the national examination conducted for graduate teacher trainees, CETAG said the Ghana teacher licensure examination plays a crucial role in ensuring quality in the profession hence it should not be cancelled.
The President of CETAG, Prince Obeng Himah in an interview with Citi FM monitored by Thisterm.com said the teacher licensure examination was very significant in ensuring the competence and quality of teaching professionals.
“In my opinion, it is something that is good and it shouldn’t be cancelled. That is CETAG, we have stated that we should implement what we agreed two years ago when we had a conference that the students wanting to enter the teaching profession should be subjected to entrance exams,” he said.
About GTLE
The GTLE aims to enable qualified teachers to acquire a professional licence and to ascertain whether candidates meet the demands of the National Teachers’ Standards on professional knowledge, practice, values, and attitudes necessary to deliver effectively in schools.