TTAG commends gov’t on move to review teacher licensure exams

President of the Teacher Trainees’ Association of Ghana (TTAG), Soale Razak, has praised the government’s decision to review the teacher licensure exams in their current form.

Speaking at the association’s 29th Annual Delegates Congress at Hohoe on Friday, Mr. Razak said there were inconsistencies between the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) programmes and how examinations were prepared for the trainees.

He commended ongoing discussions among key stakeholders in addressing existing challenges.

“There is a disconnect between the B.Ed. curriculum and the examination structure, coupled with the lack of adequate preparation time and resources.

“We commend the National Teaching Council, and by extension the Ministry and the Committee, for engaging the Teacher Training Association of Ghana in a meaningful dialogue to reform the exam in a way that maintains quality without being punitive,” he averred.

The first licensure examination started in September 2018 during the erstwhile Akufo-Addo administration.

During last year’s presidential election campaign, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) pledged to get rid of the examination.

Mr. Razak also urged the government to offer it a seat at the table during high-stakes decision-making regarding the education sector.

According to him, this will afford them the opportunity to share their unique perspectives and insights on key policy proposals.

“In the interest of national development and a comprehensive work that would include the experiences and perspectives of the candidate, which is the teacher trainee, we demand that TTAG should not only be invited to share their position on policies, but be an active member in the process that is being present in committees being formed.”

Speaking on behalf of President John Mahama at the Teacher Trainees’ Association’s (TTAG) 29th Annual Delegates Congress at Hohoe on Friday, Deputy Minister for Education, Dr. Clement Apaak, disclosed that the government will partner with development partners for

“In the area of partnership, we believe that no transformation is sustainable without partnership and in that context, our educational system must and has always rely on partnerships. Partnership must be both strategic and symbolic.

“We are therefore going to intensify and deepen our collaboration with development partners such as the UNAIDS, UNICEF, T-TEL UNESCO, the World Bank, and other finance teacher educational institutions, both at home and abroad. We are also looking at including leadership training for principals and digital literacy for college tutors”, Dr. Apaak stated.

Clearly the review teacher licensure exams proposal by the rulling NDC government has been embraced as a good policy by educators under training.