Teacher Licensing Reforms: Examination pass mark to be increased from 50% to 70% – NTC
Dr. Christian Addai Poku, Registrar of NTC
The National Teaching Council (NTC) has announced its plans to raise the pass mark for the Ghana Teacher Licensure Examination (GTLE) from 50% to 70%. This adjustment is part of the NTC’s upcoming reforms, set to take effect in September 2023.
During an appearance on the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) Sunday night’s current affairs program “TALKING POINT” on June 25, 2023, Dr. Christian Adai Poku, the Registrar of the National Teaching Council, revealed this development.
He stated, “The pass mark for the reformed Ghana teacher licensure examination (GTLE) is 70 percent, according to the policy that is yet to receive final approval. The current pass mark is 50 percent, but the upcoming exam will require a score of 70% to pass.”
When asked about the format of the reformed GTLE scheduled for September 2023, Dr. Adai Poku explained that multiple-choice questions would be used for all subjects except the general paper, where candidates would need to express themselves in writing. He added, “For all subjects, except the general paper, there will be multiple-choice questions for all the examination items.”
Background:
In May 2023, a total of 6,451 teachers (83.5% of participants) failed the Ghana Teacher Licensure Examination. The National Teaching Council released the results after the teachers took the re-sit papers.
Dennis Osei-Owusu, the Public Relations Officer for the Council, provided a statistical breakdown of the results during an interview with Citi News.
Out of the 7,728 teachers who took the re-sit exams, only 1,277 passed. Osei-Owusu expressed concerns about the implications of these results on the educational sector, stating, “We had 7,728 candidates who sat for the exams, all of whom were re-sitters.
They are teachers who had previously attempted the exam but didn’t pass. The minimum number of attempts was two, while the maximum was nine. Only 1,277 individuals passed the exams, meaning they no longer have any outstanding requirements. This accounts for 16.5% of the candidates.”
The Public Relations Officer of the National Teaching Council highlighted the significance of the licensure re-sit exam outcomes, emphasizing that they pose a national security threat.
He questioned the level of training received by some of the candidates in their respective institutions before becoming teachers, based on the quality of their written responses. Osei-Owusu remarked, “It is evident that many of them are not adequately prepared to be teachers; they simply want to exploit the system.”
Meanwhile, Osei-Owusu outlined alternative measures available to candidates who failed the licensure re-sit exams. He explained that they would be given one final opportunity to retake the exam before being required to join the reformed system.
Under the new arrangement, only teachers with bachelor’s degrees would be eligible for the reformed system. Those without a bachelor’s degree would need to obtain one before sitting for the exam again.
SOURCE: Coverghana.com.gh
