Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has issued a firm directive to conclude all pending processes related to the Teacher Licensure Examinations by August 30, 2025.

Speaking at the swearing-in of the new board of the National Teaching Council, the Minister said it's time to gradually halt the teacher licensing exams, which many have complained about, as part of bigger changes to how teachers are assessed and qualified.

“There is still the vexed matter of teacher licensure exams. The last of it must be concluded not later than August 30,” he stated.

This action aligns with a promise made by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) during the presidential election campaign in 2024.

The directive includes a final resit window for candidates who previously failed, after which the licensure exam regime will be officially scrapped.

"If there is a last opportunity for those who sat and could not make it, that process should not travel beyond 30th August," Honourable Idrisu added.

The Ministry is working with the NTC registrar to set a firm date for this final round.

This move aligns with the government’s plan to replace standardized testing with a new framework that prioritizes academic training and practical fieldwork over written exams.

The Ghana Teacher Licensure Examination (GTLE) was officially introduced in September 2018 by the National Teaching Council (NTC).

The NTC is mandated by the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023) to conduct these exams as part of its licensing process

But the outcomes of the 2023 Ghana Teacher Licensure Examination (GTLE) revealed that a significant portion of candidates did not meet the required standards for licensure.

According to statistics released by the National Teaching Council (NTC), 47.4% of the candidates, totaling 9,556 teachers, failed the examination.

Out of the 20,181 candidates who participated, only 52.6% successfully met the licensure standards. The detailed breakdown of the results indicates that 10,625 teachers passed the exam. On the other hand, 892 candidates, constituting 4.4%, did not pass in any of the subjects.

Further analysis of the results shows that 2,641 candidates (13.1%) passed in only one subject, while 6,023 candidates (29.8%) achieved success in two subjects.

“The National Teaching Council (NTC) is set to release the results of the 2023 Ghana Teacher Licensure Examination (GTLE) 2&3 on Thursday, December 21, 2023.

"Number of candidates: 20181, total pass: 10625 (52.6%), total fail: 9556 (47.4%), pass none: 892 (4.4%), Pass 1: 2641(13.1), Pass 2: 6023 (29.8%).”

As a result Deputy Education Minister, Dr Clement Abas Apaak expressed his support for the President Mahama's decision to review the nationwide teacher licensure examination.

But the former Deputy Minister of Education, Dr. John Ntim Fordjour, was among those who strongly opposed former President John Mahama’s plan, describing him as a major threat to Ghana’s progress for making such a proposal.

In response, Dr. Clement Apaak dismissed Fordjour’s comments, arguing that he and the former NPP government either fail to grasp the public’s concerns or are disconnected from reality.

According to the Member of Parliament for Builsa South, various stakeholders in Ghana's education sector are in favor of discontinuing the teacher licensure examination.

Despite resistance from the government at the time, Dr. Apaak believed that the promises made by Mr Mahama were sensible, justified, and would be implemented.

"JM is not opposed to examining teachers as a basis of certifying them as professionals. However, like teacher trainees and stakeholders in teacher training, JM is opposed to the current arrangement towards certification. His reasonable alternative is to make the examination towards professional certification a final-year compulsory course to be written alongside other final-year courses."

"In JM’s variant, when a teacher trainee passes all final year courses, including the course tailored to certify a trainee as a professional teacher, the trainee is given a licence. If the trainee passes all courses but fails the certification course, he/she doesn’t get a licence and would have to re-register the course and write it in his/her college as is the case with final year compulsory courses," he added.