The National Teaching Council (NTC) has warned that teachers who fail to acquire professional qualifications and licences by the end of the year may face action from the Ghana Education Service (GES).
Speaking on Channel One Newsroom on Sunday, May 10, the Director in charge of Licensing and Registration at the NTC, Francis Addai, said the Council aims to complete the programme for all registered teachers before the end of the year.
“We want to run this programme by the end of this year. The first cohort is completing in August, the second cohort will start in September and also complete in December. We entreat all of them to join and become professional teachers,” he said.
Mr Addai urged teachers without professional certification to take advantage of the current fast-track teacher education programme introduced to regularise their status. He cautioned that teachers who fail to obtain the required licence may not be permitted to continue teaching under the GES.
“Else we will write to the employer, that is GES, and a decision will be taken on them. I cannot speak to the specifics now, but they need a licence to teach. Therefore, they cannot remain as non-professional teachers and continue working with the GES,” he said.
He revealed that a nationwide survey conducted by the Council identified about 12,279 unregistered teachers in Senior High Schools and more than 30,000 in basic schools. The Ashanti Region recorded the highest number of unqualified teachers.
“When we did the search, Ashanti Region had the highest figures — about 3,000 and over, almost 4,000 — followed by Greater Accra, Eastern, and others,” he noted.
The comments come after the NTC disclosed that over 42,000 teachers in Ghana’s basic and senior high schools currently do not hold professional teaching qualifications.
Meanwhile, the NTC, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and five universities — the University of Cape Coast, University of Education, Winneba, University for Development Studies, Valley View University, and the University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development — is rolling out an 18-week fast-track Postgraduate Diploma in Education programme.