A window of opportunity has been provided to about 30,000 non-professional teachers at pre-tertiary institutions to regularize their stay in the classroom by the end of the year.
Teachers have till December to receive the necessary teaching registration and license thanks to a special exemption made possible by a partnership between the National Teaching Council (NTC) and the Ghana Education Service (GES).
They are comprised of bachelor’s and non-bachelor’s degree holders who were hired prior to the implementation of the licensing system in 2018.
Under the arrangement, degree holders must enroll in a Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) program at a recognized teacher education university in order to get a teachers’ registration and license following successful completion of the program.
“This fast-track programme will last for 16 weeks and shall be exclusive for those who were teachers before September 30, 2018.
“All other categories of untrained teachers are required to attend a one-week Booth Camp training in designated institutions and be issued permanent registration upon successful completion of the training.
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In an exclusive interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra, the NTC’s Registrar, Dr Christian Addai-Poku, stated that this will only apply to individuals who were teachers before to September 30, 2018.
Engagement with Universities
He stated that the NTC has begun working with four universities: the University of Cape Coast (UCC), the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), the University for Development Studies (UDS), and the Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED).
Dr. Addai-Poku stated that he was certain that by August 2024, the engagement would be finalized and the instructors involved would have enrolled.
In July 2022, the council granted a special permission to in-service non-professional teachers who were hired before to September 2018 to participate in an exemption exercise in order to get the full license granted to such instructors within two years after upgrading to professional status.
The exemption period will end in December 2024.
Assurance
Dr. Addai-Poku assured participants in those two programs that they would not be obliged to take the licensure test, “as this forms part of the transitional arrangements for those who were employed by the GES before the introduction of the licensure examination in 2018.”
Dr Addai-Poku shed further insight on the arrangement, stating that as part of its mission, the Council performed compliance inspections at senior high schools across six areas of the country, with a particular emphasis on teachers compliance with the law on teacher licensing.
“The data revealed that 7,100 teachers in the senior high schools in the six regions do not possess the right credentials to be in the classroom,” he informed. He stated that under the transitional setup, such teachers needed assistance in obtaining qualifications that would qualify them for permanent registration and licensure.
Dr. Addai-Poku explained that, in accordance with section 67(1) of the Education Regulatory Bodies Act (2020), Act 1023, which states, “A person shall not practise as a teacher unless the person is registered as a teacher in accordance with this Act,” it was necessary to take immediate action to ensure that the teachers complied.
“In view of the above, the Council intends to deploy a special dispensation to register and licence all non-professional in-service teachers in the country,” the minister stated. Dr. Addai-Poku encouraged all instructors in that group to take advantage of the opportunity to regularize their time in the classroom before the end of the year.
He warned the affected teachers to take advantage of it, “because those who do not take up the opportunity before the end of December 2024, even if they upgrade themselves, will be required to write the licensure examination.”
