‘Teachers will be below International Standards’ – GES Director warns against Licensure Exams cancellation
Jonas Danquah 
The Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Prof. Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa, has warned against plans to abolish the licensure examination for graduate teachers in the country.
Prof Opoku-Amankwa said it will be suicidal to cancel the licensure exams as it will reverse the professional standards of teachers in Ghana.
He noted that, if the licensure exams is abolished, the country risks having it teachers falling below international standards.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has said it will abolish the licensure examination for graduate teachers if given the mandate after the December 7 general elections.
Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, the running mate of the NDC explained that the move intends to achieve a quality educational system in the country.
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But Prof. Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa disagreed and said "If that happens, then we will still keep our teachers below international standards. But we have to make every effort to bring them at par with their counterparts elsewhere, and that is the best practice everywhere."
Prof Opoku-Amankwa
He made this known during a visit to the Accra College of Education, which serves as one of the centres for the Ghana Teacher Licensure Examination.
About 31,167 newly trained teachers are writing the two-day examination in Literacy, Essential Professional Skills, and Numeracy which began on Thursday, October 1, 2020.
He said if Ghana was really serious about the quality of education, "then we should be very serious about the professionalism of teachers, of which licensing and continuous professional development are a part.
"We cannot reverse the professionalism of teachers and continue to shout about the quality of education."
He stated that the licensure examination would promote professionalism, adding that licensing was the norm for any group that called itself a profession.
About the Licensure Exams
The first licensure exams took place in September 2018 and over 28,000 newly-trained teachers wrote the exams.
The introduction of teacher license and continuous professional development were key policies being pursued by the government through the NTC, which was aimed at improving the professional standing and status of teachers in the country.
