Dr Christian Addai-Poku, Registrar for the National Teaching Council, has disclosed that 44,000 out of the 120,000 teachers who wrote the 2022 Ghana Teacher Licensure Examinations, failed the examination.

The Registrar stated that the results of the examinations were worrying, considering the poor performance of the teachers who were supposed to be imparting knowledge to children in the various schools.

Dr Addai-Poku opined that the knowledge and capacities of teachers needed to be continually developed to enable them excel in their field of work. He stressed that the continuous professional development of teachers enable them to sharpen their skills and upgrade their teaching profession.

Dr Addai further suggested that there was the need for female teachers to be encouraged to climb up the teaching ladder into second-cycle institutions, emphasizing that, their numbers at that level was not impressing. He indicated that out of the total population of teachers at the second cycle level, only 26 per cent were female.

“Having more female teachers at the second cycle level would enable the girls in the schools to have role models they can look up to in these female teachers”
Dr Addai

Dr Addai-Poku made these comment at the 2022/23 Cohort – Leading Girls’ Learning Programme town hall meeting organised by the Institute of Teacher Education and Development (INTED).

The Leading Girls’ Learning Programme enrolled by INTED with support from USAID, seeks to address attitudes and barriers against girls in second cycle school to improve their learning environment.

Purpose Of Examinination

The purpose of the Licensing Examination is to enable qualified teachers acquire a professional license and also prepare teachers to meet the demands of the National Teachers’ Standards of possessing the minimum knowledge, skills, values and attitudes necessary to deliver effectively in schools.

Likewise, according to the policy, teachers already in active service should also obtain the license to practice the profession successfully. After successfully passing the licensure exam for teachers, you will qualify for recruitment into Ghana Education Service.

Certainly, one may think that, after graduating from a university or college, he or she is a professional teacher. However, this assertion cannot be true. Like all other professions, teachers also need a license to operate well.

Thus, there is the need to license, regulate and upgrade the knowledge, skills and competence of teachers, to enhance teaching and learning.