In a move to address the alarming rate of mass failures in the Ghana Teacher Licensure Examination, the government has announced that it will soon introduce an entrance assessment as part of the selection process for teacher education admissions.
This decision was disclosed by Dr Christian Addai-Poku, the Registrar of the National Teaching Council (NTC), during a press briefing on Wednesday, July 12.
“The Ministry and NTC are jointly working to strengthen regulatory systems for teacher education institutions and ensure compliance”, he stated
Dr Addai-Poku emphasized that the introduction of an entrance assessment will help filter out candidates who are not adequately prepared, thereby improving the overall quality of teachers and their performance at the GTLE.
One of the aims of the Teacher Licensure Exams, introduced in September 2018, is to assess the competence and skills of newly trained teachers before they enter the classroom. The Council has conducted a total of 10 licensure examinations covering essential professional skills, literacy, and numeracy.
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However, recent results have shown a concerning trend. Out of the 7,728 candidates who sat for the examination in May, only 1,277, representing a mere 16.5 percent, managed to pass.
This high rate of failure has raised concerns about the quality of teacher education and the readiness of candidates to effectively perform their teaching responsibilities.
Dr Addai-Poku highlighted potential factors contributing to the mass failures. One such factor is the introduction of serialisation or item differentials, which prevented cheating during the examination.
Additionally, candidates were required to sit the examination in institutions other than their parent establishments, which helped curb some of the malpractices observed in previous exams.
The Registrar of the NTC also expressed his belief that a portion of the candidates who failed the examination were not adequately prepared for teacher education institutions in the first place.
This observation underscores the necessity of implementing the entrance assessment, as it will filter out candidates who lack the basic competencies required for effective teaching.
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In order to address this issue, the NTC is committed to providing sufficient reading materials to enhance the preparation of teacher trainees for the examination.
By doing so, they aim to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge acquired during training and the practical skills necessary for effective teaching.
The introduction of the entrance assessment for teacher education admissions will undoubtedly set a higher bar for aspiring teachers, ensuring that only the most competent and capable individuals are entrusted with the responsibility of educating the future generations.
