The National Teaching Council (NTC) has introduced sweeping reforms to the Ghana Teacher Licensure Examination (GTLE), integrating it into the final-year examinations of teacher training institutions.
Under the new system, trainees will no longer sit for a separate national licensure test after graduation. Instead, the assessment will be embedded in their final academic evaluations, combining theory and practical teaching.
Teaching practice will account for 30% of the pedagogy score, while theoretical components will make up the remaining 70%.
Candidates will now write the exams in their respective colleges or universities, eliminating the need to travel to designated centres — a move aimed at reducing stress and costs.
According to the NTC, the reforms are in line with the Ministry of Education’s directive to streamline teacher certification and remove unnecessary duplication of assessments.
The integrated model mirrors licensing systems in other professions, such as nursing and midwifery, where qualification is built into academic coursework.
The changes will not affect candidates registered for the July 2025 GTLE, which will be conducted under the current system. Future cohorts will be assessed using the new structure.
Since its introduction in 2018, the GTLE has tested trainees in numeracy, literacy, pedagogy, and subject-specific content.
The reforms follow years of debate over the exam’s relevance, with many stakeholders calling for a more practical and training-aligned approach.
The NTC believes the overhaul will align teacher qualifications more closely with classroom readiness, promote fairness, and ensure high professional standards while easing the transition from training to teaching.
Read below the new approach
