The National Teaching Council (NTC) has warned that teachers across the country who fail to obtain professional licences by the end of 2026 risk facing sanctions from the Ghana Education Service (GES).
The Council says all teachers currently in classrooms without professional certification must take advantage of the ongoing fast-track teacher education programme introduced to regularise their status.
Speaking on Channel One Newsroom, the Director in charge of Licensing and Registration at the NTC, Francis Addai, disclosed that the Council is working to ensure all affected teachers complete the programme before the end of the year.
“We want to run this programme by the end of this year. The first cohort is completing in August, the second cohort will start in September and also complete in December, so we entreat all of them to join and become professional teachers,” he said.
Mr Addai cautioned that teachers who fail to obtain the required licence may no longer be allowed to continue teaching under the GES.
“Else we will write to the employer, that is GES, and a decision will be taken on them. That one I cannot speak to now, but they need a licence to teach; therefore, they cannot remain as non-professional teachers and remain in the GES,” he stated.
The warning follows a recent nationwide survey by the NTC which revealed that more than 42,000 teachers in both basic and senior high schools do not possess professional teaching qualifications.
According to the Council, about 12,279 unqualified teachers were identified in senior high schools, while over 30,000 were found in basic schools across the country.
Mr Addai further disclosed that the Ashanti Region recorded the highest number of unqualified teachers nationwide.
“When we did the search, Ashanti Region had the highest figures, about 3,000 and over, almost 4,000, followed by Greater Accra, Eastern, and then so on,” he noted.
To address the challenge, the NTC, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and five universities, has introduced an 18-week fast-track Postgraduate Diploma in Education programme to help affected teachers acquire professional certification.
The programme is being implemented in partnership with the University of Cape Coast, University of Education, Winneba, University for Development Studies, Valley View University, and University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development.
The initiative is expected to assist graduate teachers without professional training to obtain certification and teaching licences as required by law.
The first batch of approximately 1,400 teachers is expected to complete the programme in August, while registration for the second cohort is expected to open in June ahead of classes scheduled for September.
According to the NTC, the programme has been heavily subsidised and will cost GH¢5,000 for two semesters to make it affordable and accessible to teachers nationwide.
