Professional teacher licensing, registration begin

The National Teaching Council (NTC) yesterday began the licensing and registration of all professional teachers in the country.

The NTC is mandated by the Education Regulator’s Body Act 2020 (ACT 1023) to improve professional standing and status of teachers and ensure the licensing and registration of teachers in the country.

The Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, at a ceremony in Accra to launch the policy, said to be legally recognised, a professional teacher in the country must be registered and licensed.

He said professional teachers must have undergone rigorous training and acquired specialised skills and knowledge to help them adhere to the professional code of conduct and standards.

“This policy, therefore, seeks to guide the registration and licensing process of teachers in Ghana and is in fulfilment of clause 10 (d) of the Education Act 2008 (Act 778) which states that the functions of the Council include, to register teachers after they have satisfied the appropriate conditions for initial licensing and issue the appropriate licence,” he said.

Recognised profession

He said the teacher had been the pillar in the country’s education but was not recognised as a professional.

The policy, he said, would reverse that notion and add a professional touch to teaching in the country.

“There is this common knowledge out there that needs to be corrected; licensing of teachers is not to deprive teachers of their rightful role or job opportunities but rather make the profession very attractive and to meet global standards,” he said.

He assured teachers of the government’s commitment to the welfare of teachers, adding that it recognised the professional licence as a sure move to make the teacher feel proud of what he or she does.

Dr Adutwum said plans were far advanced towards the distribution of laptops to all teachers at the pre-tertiary level in all public schools in the country to ensure that they were able to make good use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to enhance effective teaching and learning.

“The government is ready to put in place the right measures and resources to ensure effective teaching and learning in schools at all times,” he said.

Qualified teachers

The Registrar of the NTC, Dr Christian Addai-Poku, said the registration and licensing which was launched was targeted at qualified teachers in the country.

“By qualified teachers, we mean persons who have successfully acquired the required training from a recognised teacher education institution before September 1, 2018,” he said.

That group of teachers, per the transitional arrangement, he said, was exempted from passing the Ghana Teacher Licensing Examination (GTLE) before getting their professional licence.

Another group of qualified teachers who could obtain the licence are those who have already passed the GTLE and completed their induction training.

He explained that those two groups of teachers were expected to first register on the Teacher Portal Ghana (TPG) and subsequently avail themselves personally at the registration centre to be issued their licence.

“This exercise will not only help NTC issue licences to teachers but will also help build a credible database of teachers to properly inform policy,” he said.
Dr Addai-Poku appealed to all stakeholders to support the exercise.