Mahama’s promise to abolish Teacher Licensure Exams sensible

In a staunch defense of former President John Mahama’s pledge to scrap the Teacher Licensure Exams (TLEs) if elected President in 2024, Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Sammy Gyamfi has asserted that the exams are merely a ploy by the current administration to suppress teacher recruitment.

During his ‘Building Ghana Tour’ in the Bono Region, Mahama vowed to abolish the Teacher Licensure Exams, arguing that subjecting teacher trainees to an additional assessment for qualification is unnecessary.

This stance has drawn criticism from the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG), who maintain the importance of the exams.

Addressing these concerns, Gyamfi highlighted that teacher trainees already undergo rigorous four-year Bachelor of Education programs, encompassing at least fifty courses and eight semesters of intensive study.

He questioned the need for an additional exam after such comprehensive training.

Gyamfi decried the Teacher Licensure Exams as a “dubious ploy” by the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government to cut down on teacher recruitment due to financial constraints.

He revealed that many qualified teacher trainees fail the exams, leaving them jobless and forcing some to resort to bribery to secure licenses.

Gyamfi emphasized the lack of transparency in the Teacher Licensure Exams marking scheme, noting that pass marks are arbitrarily adjusted to suit the government’s hiring needs. He further pointed out that even those who eventually pass the exams often face delays in employment.

Reinforcing Mahama’s commitment to education, Gyamfi reaffirmed the NDC’s plan to focus on strengthening pre-certification education standards and examinations in Colleges of Education.

He underscored that this approach would better ensure the quality of future teachers without creating unnecessary barriers to employment.

Below is the full statement by the Sammy Gyamfi

MAHAMA’S PROMISE TO ABOLISH OBNOXIOUS TEACHERS’ LICENSURE EXAMINATION IS SOUND AND SENSIBLE

H.E John Mahama and the NDC fully supports the Licensing and Registration of Teachers as required by sections 12 & 13 of the Education Act (ACT 778), 2008. What we are vehemently opposed to, is the use of a needless Licensure Exam as the basis or precondition for licensing teachers. It’s as simple as that.

Below are the reasons why the Teachers’ Licensure Exam is obnoxious, hence must be abolished:

Currently, Teacher Trainees undertake 4-year (Bachelors of Education) degree programs in various Colleges of Education. During the 4-year academic period, Teacher Trainees are taught and examined in not less than fifty (50) courses over eight (8) semesters, that is, two semesters per year.
It is worthy of note, that the curriculum for each semester includes a mandatory field practical course called Supported Teaching in Schools (STS). This practical academic activity is climaxed with a rigorous full semester mandatory internship course during the first semester of level 400. During this period, Teacher Trainees are assigned to the field to understudy mentors in classrooms and practically guided to teach. Trainees are required to prepare lesson notes, reflective journals among others, for assessment. After successfully passing eight (8) semester examinations involving not less than 30 courses, including the mandatory full-semester internship course, Teacher Trainees graduate from school and are issued with Bachelors of Education Degree certificates.
One would have thought, that the right thing for government to do after this, would have been to simply license and employ these teachers and pay them the appropriate salary as the practice had always been, before the current NPP government took office. Sadly, this is not the case now.
In a dubious ploy by the failed Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government to suppress teacher recruitment, they now require Teacher Trainee graduates who have successfully passed all their course exams in school including the mandatory field internship program, to undertake another examination called Licensure Examination before they are licensed to teach- an examination that has no active guide whatsoever.
To add insult to injury, Teacher Trainees are also forced to undertake a one-year compulsory National Service. This is despite the fact that their 4-year academic curriculum already involves intense teaching support services to the state.
Many Teacher Trainee graduates end up being failed after taking the obnoxious licensure exam without even knowing why they were failed. These qualified teachers are made to stay home without any job. Out of desperation, some are compelled to pay bribes to officials of the National Teaching Council in order to get a license. The marking scheme for the obnoxious licensure examination remains a mystery. The pass mark is whimsically and capriciously adjusted depending on the number of qualified teachers government intends to deny employment every year. Even worse is the fact that, some teachers who failed the obnoxious licensure exam on their first attempt but have eventually managed to pass the the exam have been denied posting and are siting home idle.
The reason for this injustice is simple; the failed Akufo-Addo government/Bawumia government simply does not have the financial capacity to employ all Teacher Trainee graduates, hence has devised a plan to use the obnoxious licensure exam to suppress the number of teachers they have to employ every year under the guise of licensing teachers. This elimination by rough tactic is simply unfair. This is why, the visionary Nation Builder, H.E John Dramani Mahama has promised to abolish it when elected in 2024.
For those who are concerned about quality assurance, it is worthy of note, that section 13 of the Education Act requires professional certification as the basis for licensing and registering Teachers. Thus, any policy or proposal intended to improve quality assurance must focus on improving pre-certification education standards and examination in Colleges of Education. This is precisely what John Mahama is talking about.
If government thinks that all the academic examinations and field works Teacher Trainees are taken through during their 4-year programs in school are not enough for quality assurance, then what government ought to do is to improve pre-certification teaching and examination standards in line with best practices. Once that is done, there will be no need for another exam to license teachers after they have successfully graduated.
Using myself as an example, the pre-certification course and exam in the law school where I attended is very rigorous and competitive. Once you pass it and successfully undertake the mandatory internship course, you are licensed and called to the Bar. You are not required to write another licensure exams before you are licensed as a lawyer. Neither are you required to undertake compulsory national service before you are licensed. You are only required to do pupillage after you are licensed as a lawyer. This practice is the same for doctors and other professional bodies.
For the avoidance of doubt, licensing is not the same as Licensure Examination. I am a licensed lawyer but I was not required to write any licensure exam before I was licensed as a lawyer. The NDC started piloting the licensing of teachers in the year 2016 without examination. We were ready to fully rollout the policy for the 2016/2017 academic year before we lost power. See https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/new-teacher-licensing-starts-from-2016-17-academic-year.html
The visionary Nation Builder has spoken in very clear terms on this matter. No attempt to spin to this well-thought out policy will wash. The obnoxious Teachers’ Licensure Exams and superfluous National Service will be canceled after John Mahama is sworn in as President on 7th January, 2025. “Insha Allah!” Teacher trainees deserve to be automatically licensed and employed after successfully completing their 4-year programs.