Rev. Isaac Owusu, former National President of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), has challenged the authority of the National Teaching Council (NTC) regarding its recent warnings to uncertified educators.
He asserts that because the NTC is not the direct employer of teachers—a role held by the Ghana Education Service (GES)—it lacks the mandate to issue such directives directly to staff.
Describing the NTC as a regulatory body established under the Education Act, Rev. Owusu argues that its primary responsibility is the issuance of licences.
Consequently, he maintains that any professional grievances or administrative issues regarding teachers should be formally reported to the GES for internal handling.
These remarks were prompted by a recent ultimatum from the NTC, which cautioned that teachers lacking professional qualifications and licences by the end of the year could face sanctions from the GES.
To avoid such penalties, the Council urged unlicensed classroom teachers to enrol in an ongoing fast-track teacher education programme to regularise their professional status.
However, speaking on Nyankonton Mu Nsem.on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, Rev. Owusu dismissed the ultimatum as unnecessary.
He raised concerns regarding the financial implications for teachers who may be unable to afford additional training at this time. Furthermore, he called on the NTC to retract the label of “unqualified,” noting that these individuals have all received training through colleges of education in some capacity.
Rev. Owusu also took the opportunity to question the current government’s unfulfilled campaign pledge to abolish certain examinations, asking why teachers continue to be burdened by such requirements despite those promises.
“I will first state that the NTC had no hand in terms of recruitment of teachers. The GES is responsible for the recruitment of teachers. NTC under the Education Act is only a regulatory body that licenses teachers, and so if you have discovered that 42,000 teachers have no licence, you have to work in collaboration with GES on the best way of handling the issue. Teachers are required to write the licensure exams and, when they fail, they have three more attempts at writing the exams. If we want these teachers to be regularised, then we have to give them about three years and not limit that to 18 weeks. It was needless to put this out there that 42,000 are unlicensed. We lack teachers and, if we fail in handling this matter properly, it will have long-term effects on the education sector.”
While maintaining that ensuring all classroom teachers are certified is a positive goal, Rev. Owusu concluded that the matter must be handled holistically to prevent further damage to the nation’s educational framework.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana