In a staunch defense of former President John Mahama’s pledge to scrap the Teacher Licensure Exams (TLEs) if elected President in 2024, Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Sammy Gyamfi has asserted that the exams are merely a ploy by the current administration to suppress teacher recruitment.
During his ‘Building Ghana Tour’ in the Bono Region, Mahama vowed to abolish the Teacher Licensure Exams, arguing that subjecting teacher trainees to an additional assessment for qualification is unnecessary.
This stance has drawn criticism from the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG), who maintain the importance of the exams.
Addressing these concerns, Gyamfi highlighted that teacher trainees already undergo rigorous four-year Bachelor of Education programs, encompassing at least fifty courses and eight semesters of intensive study.
He questioned the need for an additional exam after such comprehensive training.
Gyamfi decried the Teacher Licensure Exams as a “dubious ploy” by the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government to cut down on teacher recruitment due to financial constraints.
He revealed that many qualified teacher trainees fail the exams, leaving them jobless and forcing some to resort to bribery to secure licenses.
Gyamfi emphasized the lack of transparency in the Teacher Licensure Exams marking scheme, noting that pass marks are arbitrarily adjusted to suit the government’s hiring needs. He further pointed out that even those who eventually pass the exams often face delays in employment.
Reinforcing Mahama’s commitment to education, Gyamfi reaffirmed the NDC’s plan to focus on strengthening pre-certification education standards and examinations in Colleges of Education.
He underscored that this approach would better ensure the quality of future teachers without creating unnecessary barriers to
