We are not scared of exams – GNAT replies Minister

The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) says it is ready to partake in the special examination before being granted the license to teach.

The National Teachers Council (NTC) of the Ministry of Education announced that teachers will now have to pass a special examination before being granted the license to teach.

The move, according to the NTC, is to enforce discipline and eliminate non-performing teachers from the system, in accordance with the new Teachers Licensing Policy under the Education Act 778 (2008).

Dr. Augustine Tawiah, Executive Secretary-designate of the National Teaching Council of the Ministry of Education, disclosed this in Accra last week at the closing ceremony of a five-day intensive in-service training workshop for teachers in the Greater Accra Region.

The workshop which was attended by 297 subject teachers in the Primary, Junior and Senior High Schools was organised by the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) with support from the Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF).

According to Dr. Tawiah, all formalities for the full implementation of the Act had been finalised and a secretariat to issue the license had been established.

He disclosed that beginning next January, the ministry would undertake re-registration of all teachers in the country to facilitate the issuance of the licenses.

But General Secretary of GNAT, David Ofori Acheampong reacting to the issue said it is important for the ministry to do proper consultation and modalities with the rightful stakeholders before implementing it.




“We are not scared to write exams to get our license, after all, we are the same people who set questions for students and so why should we be afraid to write exams.

“All we need now is that all formalities for the full implementation are in order. We won’t allow them to impose anything on us until there is a consensus between us.

“We have competent representatives on the council and we expect them to make the right decisions before we will accept it” he said.

Mr Ofori Acheampong was speaking on Adom FM’s Morning Show “Dwaso Nsem” Tuesday.

He further stressed that teachers in the country are faced with so many challenges and therefore it is important for the education ministry to channel its resources in shaping the education system rather than concentrating on trivial issues which to him are ‘baseless’.

“Sometimes we are try hard to understand the leaders we have in this country. We really have challenges when it comes to teachers and students and I rather urge them to sit down and plan on how to deal with these challenges instead of wasting their time on this,” he said.

Mr Ofori Acheampong indicated that since the license comes with a lot of benefits, they expect the council to consider them as professionals and make available benefits due them when the Act is finally implemented.

Source:adomonline.com