Government has moved to scrap the Teacher Licensure Examination by the end of August 2025, signaling a significant policy shift in teacher qualification and assessment in Ghana.
The directive, issued by Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu, came during the inauguration of the newly constituted governing board of the National Teaching Council (NTC) on Tuesday, July 15.
The Minister instructed the Council to officially phase out the examination no later than August 30, 2025.
“The last of the Teacher Licensure Exams must be concluded not later than August 30. If there is a final opportunity for those who sat and couldn’t make it, that process should not go beyond August 30,” he emphasised.
The decision fulfills a key campaign promise made by President Mahama during the 2024 elections, where he criticized the policy for placing unnecessary hurdles in the path of teacher trainees.
The Teacher Licensure Examination, introduced in 2018 by the NTC under the Ministry of Education, was aimed at certifying individuals who wished to teach in public pre-tertiary institutions.
The policy was anchored on Section 12(4) of the Education Act, 2008 (Act 778), which mandates the development of licensure programmes in consultation with the Council.
However, the new directive signals a shift away from standardized testing and toward a model that emphasizes academic training, mentorship, and fieldwork as the basis for teacher qualification.
While the decision was welcomed by some as a progressive reform, it also drew criticism from professional groups such as the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG).
CETAG argued that the exams are essential for evaluating the readiness and competence of teacher trainees before they enter classrooms.
Despite the backlash, the government insisted the reform is part of a broader agenda to modernize teacher training and professional standards in line with global best practices.
The Ministry of Education is expected to roll out a new framework that balances rigorous academic standards with practical teaching experience—without the need for an additional licensure exam.
