The Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) has expressed support for the licensure exams for teacher trainees, asserting that it is a beneficial policy and should not be cancelled.
The Association’s President, Prince Obeng Himah says the policy provides specialized training for teachers, distinguishing it from other professions.
This goes contrary to the stance of National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, who has promised to abolish the licensure exams.
Mr Himah believes that cancelling the policy would have a detrimental impact on the entire educational sector.
“In my opinion, it is something that is good and it shouldn’t be cancelled. That is CETAG, we have stated that we should implement what we agreed two years ago when we had a conference that the students wanting to enter the teaching profession should be subjected to entrance exams,” he said in an interview with Accra-based Citi FM on Monday, November 20.
During his ‘Building Ghana Tour’ in the Bono Region, Mr Mahama pledged to eliminate the exams, arguing that subjecting teacher trainees to an additional assessment for qualification is unnecessary.
According to him, the concept surrounding the entire licensure examination was not well thought through which raises some concerns.
While Mahama advocates for the cancellation of the licensure exams, CETAG emphasises the importance of these exams in ensuring the competence and quality of future teaching professionals.