The Member of Parliament for Builsa South constituency, Dr Clement Apaak, reiterated the National Democratic Congress (NDC) commitment to cancel the teacher licensure exam if the party emerges victorious in the 2024 polls.
Dr Apaak, who is also the Deputy Ranking Member on the Education Committee of Parliament, maintained that the NDC views the exam as an inadequate method for qualifying teachers for recruitment.
The comments from Dr. Apaak came in response to the National Teaching Council's (NTC) decision to provide a second chance for over 8,000 teachers who did not pass the 2023 Teacher Licensure Exams. The NTC has scheduled March 2024 for the retake.
In an interview with Citi News, Dr. Apaak stated, “Our position has not changed as far as cancelling the licensure exams is concerned. We don't believe it is the best option in terms of licensing teachers. It is not by writing an exam, and so the deficiencies ought to be looked at within the proven processes, and the licensing process must also take place within the training period that the young teachers are still in school and not after.”
The NTC's Registrar, Dr Christian Addea Poku, disclosed that out of over 20,000 teachers who participated in the 2023 exams, 8,000 fell below the required threshold. He affirmed the Council's commitment to ensuring the failed trainees retake the exam in March 2024.
