Accra, Nov 21, GNA – Mr Sammy Gyamfi, the National Communications Officer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), says the Party’s flagbearer, former President John Dramani Mahama’s promise to abolish the Teachers’ Licensure Examination is sound and sensible.
In a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency, Mr Gyamfi said former President Mahama and the NDC support the Licensing and Registration of Teachers as required by sections 12 and 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.”
On the reasons why the Teachers’ Licensure Exam was obnoxious, Mr Gyamfi said currently, Teacher Trainees undertake Four-Year (Bachelors of Education) degree programmes in various Colleges of Education, and that during the Four-Year academic period, Teacher Trainees were taught and examined in not less than 50 courses over eight semesters, that was, two semesters per year.
He said it was worthy of note, that the curriculum for each semester included a mandatory field practical course called Supported Teaching in Schools (STS).
He reiterated that the practical academic activity was climaxed with a full semester mandatory internship course during the first semester of Level 400.
Mr Gyamfi said during this period, Teacher Trainees were assigned to the field to understudy mentors in classrooms and practically guided to teach.
He said Trainees were required to prepare lesson notes, reflective journals among others, for assessment.
He said after successfully passing eight semester examinations involving not less than 30 courses, including the mandatory full-semester internship course, Teacher Trainees graduate from school and were issued with Bachelor of Education Degree certificates.
He said the right thing for the Government to do after this, would have been to simply license and employ the teachers and pay them the appropriate salary as the practice had always been before the current New Patriotic Party (NPP) Government took office; saying.
He said the government now required Teacher Trainee graduates who had successfully passed all their course exams in school including the mandatory field internship programme, to undertake another examination called Licensure Examination before they were licensed to teach- an examination that had no active guide whatsoever.
“To add insult to injury, Teacher Trainees are also forced to undertake a one-year compulsory National Service,” he stated.
“This is despite the fact that their Four-Year academic curriculum already involves intense teaching support services to the state.”
Mr Gyamfi said many Teacher Trainee graduates ended up failing after taking the obnoxious licensure exam without even knowing why they failed.
He said if the Government thinks that all the academic examinations and field works Teacher Trainees were taken through during their Four-Year programmes in school were not enough for quality assurance, then what the Government ought to do was to improve pre-certification teaching and examination standards in line with best practices.
He said once that was done, there would be no need for another exam to license teachers after they had successfully graduated.
“Using myself as an example, the pre-certification course and exam in the law school where I attended is 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 take another licensure exam 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,” Mr Gyamfi said.
“For the avoidance of doubt, licensing is not the same as Licensure Examination. I am a licensed lawyer, but I was not required to take any licensure exam before I was licensed as a lawyer.”
He said the NDC started piloting the licensing of teachers in the year 2016 without examination.
“We were ready to fully roll out the policy for the 2016/2017 academic year before we lost power.”
GNA