Government to End Teacher Licensure Exams, Improve Training and Housing — Haruna Iddrisu

The Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has announced that the government plans to abolish the teacher licensure examination and integrate it into the final-year assessments of students in colleges of education and universities. He explained that the new system will allow trainee teachers to complete their professional certification before graduation instead of sitting for a separate examination after finishing school. According to him, the change is meant to make the certification process smoother while ensuring that graduates are properly assessed before they begin teaching.

He indicated that steps are already being taken to include the licensure assessment in final-year academic work. However, he mentioned that a special arrangement was recently approved for a group of education graduates from the University of Ghana who had already completed their programmes. The university requested permission to organise a licensure examination for those graduates, and the Ministry granted the request. He stressed that this arrangement is temporary, adding that the government does not intend to continue with the licensure examination system.

Meanwhile, Mr. Iddrisu expressed worry about what he described as declining professional standards in the education sector. He said some recent examination results he reviewed were not encouraging and showed that performance levels need improvement. He therefore emphasised the importance of continuous professional training for teachers, improved motivation and better working conditions across the sector. In addition, he highlighted the need to provide decent accommodation for teachers, especially those who accept postings to rural and hard-to-reach communities. He noted that teachers who agree to work in such areas will benefit from a 20 percent incentive promised by the President.

Furthermore, the Minister disclosed that the government is working on a major housing programme to improve the welfare of teachers. He said the initiative aims to provide large-scale accommodation for educators by combining funds from various government sources, with a target of constructing about 50,000 housing units. He added that a joint Cabinet memorandum involving the Ministries of Finance, Local Government and Education will be submitted to coordinate funding and implementation of the project. According to him, the housing programme is intended to give practical meaning to the President’s promise to improve teachers’ living conditions.

In addition, Mr. Iddrisu revealed that the government is considering a policy to decentralise teacher recruitment as part of broader reforms currently before Cabinet. He explained that the proposal includes plans to gradually increase the allocation of the District Assemblies Common Fund and dedicate a portion specifically to education. He said this could make it possible for district assemblies to recruit teachers locally instead of relying only on central recruitment through the Ghana Education Service. He added that the proposed policy, if approved, could bring significant changes to the administration of the education sector.