Principal of Agogo Presbyterian Women’s College in the Ashanti Region, Dr Rev Grace Sintim Adasi, has passionately appealed to the Ghana Teacher Licensure Examination by the National Teaching Council(NTC) operators under the Ministry of Education (MoE) to reconsider the subjects included in the mandatory licensure examination for teachers.
She believes that the questions of the examination might be a significant factor affecting the pass rate and the overall effectiveness of the examination.
Dr. Sintim Adasi’s appeal comes in response to the concern that out of the 7,000 teachers who took the licensure examination this year, about 200 managed to pass it.
This situation has raised doubts about the quality of teachers being produced by Colleges of Education and Teacher Education Universities.
During her appearance on the PM Express Personality Profile show on Joy News, Saturday, September 16, 2023, Dr Rev Grace Sintim Adasi provided an example to support her plea.
“I’m a student of African Studies with a specialisation in religion and women. However, as part of the licensure examination, I’m examined in Mathematics. How do you expect me to pass such an examination when it’s not within my area of expertise?” she quizzed.
The Agogo Presbyterian Women’s College principal emphasised that testing students on subjects outside their specialisation posed a significant challenge to the sustenance of the examination.
Dr Adasi questioned whether the examination should be a general paper or more tailored to the student’s areas of expertise.
She strongly urged the NTC to reconsider the examination’s content, emphasising that these students had diligently studied their subjects and specialities during their time in the colleges and universities.
She clarified that, these were not unintelligent students but individuals who had undergone rigorous academic training in the colleges and universities.
Dr Rev Grace Sintim Adasi called on the NTC to reevaluate the content of the licensure examination and ensure that it aligns more closely with the focus of the students’ educational backgrounds and specialities.
She further urged the candidates to prepare adequately to pass examinations, a requirement for employment by the Ministry of Education.