The National Teaching Council (NTC) has revealed that over 42,000 teachers working in basic and senior high schools across Ghana lack professional teaching qualifications. A recent nationwide survey by the NTC found that approximately 12,279 Senior High School teachers and more than 30,000 basic school teachers are teaching without the necessary certification. During a matriculation ceremony for students enrolling in a Special Postgraduate Diploma in Education in Kumasi, Francis Addai, the NTC’s Director of Licensing and Registration, announced that this situation has led the council to launch an 18-week accelerated teacher education programme.
The programme, organized in collaboration with the University of Cape Coast, University of Education, Winneba, University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development, Valley View University, and the University for Development Studies, is designed to address the shortage of professionally qualified teachers. According to him, the initiative will allow graduates who are already teaching to obtain professional certification and teaching licences as required by law.
“To address the situation, the NTC has partnered with five universities to roll out a fast-track Postgraduate Diploma in Education programme for graduates. The initiative will enable participants to obtain teaching licences from the NTC in line with legal requirements,” he added. The first batch of the programme is already underway, with about 1,400 teachers enrolled and expected to complete their training in August this year.
Registration for the second cohort is expected to open in June, with classes beginning in September. Mr Addai noted that the programme has been heavily subsidised at a cost of GH₵5,000 for two semesters, describing it as the shortest and most affordable route for teachers seeking professional status.
He further warned that under existing regulations, teachers without professional qualifications and licences cannot continue to remain in the teaching service. The initiative is being implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Education as part of efforts to improve teaching standards nationwide.
Source: Towfik Mohammed