The management of the National Teaching Council on Thursday, April 13 2023 met at Alisa Hotel with various stakeholders of the Ghana Teacher Licensure examinations, to discuss and make suggestions on ways improve upon the current conditions and state of the teacher licensure exams.
In the course of the meeting, the deputy director general for TVET, Mr David Prah suggested that the current pass mark of the teacher licensure exams is not encouraging. He added that the pass rate must be increased from 50% to 70%.
He added that many advanced countries in which Ghana look up to have similar pass rate in their professional examinations.
“I’m happy some teachers are hear and the pass rate and the percentage for passing, I believe it is suspect and questionable. 50% for a teacher to step in the classroom. Meaning that he has 50% deficit. I am a comptenced based training specialist and I believe that you have achieved or yet to achieve. 50% deficit to enter classroom is very disastrous. We need to push it up. 70% is the standard” he said.
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ABOUT NTC EXAMS
The National Teaching Council is mandated by the Education Act 2008 (Act 778), Section 9 to improve professional standing and status of teachers and to license and register teachers in Ghana.
What is the purpose of NTC?
- License and Register teachers
- Develop and periodically review professional practice and ethical standards
- Provide framework for Continuous Professional Development (CPD) of teachers
- Collaborate with National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) to regulate teacher training.
Eligibility
All Prospective candidates who hold the Diploma in Basic Education (DBE), Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) or a Post Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE), M.Ed and are desirous of seeking employment as teachers.
Why Should Teachers Be Licensed And Registered?
- The license is the only legal authorisation to practise as a teacher in Ghana
- It signifies that the teacher meets the knowledge and skills required by NTC
- It enhances the teacher’s employability globally
- It gives recognition to a teacher as a member of a profession
How are teachers licensed and registered?
- They must have completed initial teacher training programme (Diploma, B.Ed, PGDE etc). The training institution must have uploaded the pass list onto the NTC portal.
- They must have passed the Ghana Teacher Licensure Examination (GTLE)
- They must have been given a provisional license.
- They must have completed induction programme (this includes portfolio assessment)
- Full license is then issued
NB: Teachers already employed before September, 2018 will be issued with the license without writing the GTLE
After licensing what next?
- Undergo CPD
- Build portfolio
- Adhere to prescribed Standards and professional ethics.
- Renew license
What is CPD?
It refers to the process by which teachers maintain and enhance their knowledge, skills and experiences as they work after any initial training.
What goes into CPD?
- Mandatory programmes
These are essential trainings that every teacher is expected to attend through Professional Learning Community (PLC) programmes such as SBI, CBI, DBI - Rank based programmes (Community of Practice) – to be studied during essential skills
These are training programmes expected to be attended by teachers in specific ranks, classes, subjects or positions to deal with specific issues in relation to their assigned roles. (School Improvement Officers, Heads of Schools, HODs, Directors of Education, Subject Teachers etc) - Recommended programmes
These are trainings which are recommended by NTC based on needs assessment - Portfolio building
It is a detailed record of training programmes and activities attended by a teacher within a specified period, that is, between the issuance of the license to its renewal