Maiden subject-based teacher licensure examination takes off
The Ghana Teacher Licensure Examination (GTLE) remains a standardised assessment in the education sector, guaranteeing that teachers in Ghana possess the necessary skills and knowledge to positively impact the nation’s youth.
Mandatory for all prospective teachers in the country, the examination is administered by the National Teaching Council (NTC).
The NTC, an agency of the Ministry of Education, is mandated by the Education Regulatory Bodies Act 2020 (ACT 1023) to regulate the teaching profession in Ghana.
This examination plays a crucial role in ensuring that prospective teachers acquire a professional licence and are well-prepared and qualified to teach in the country’s schools.
Since its inception in September 2018, the maiden subject-based GTLE is the 11th edition.
The subject-based means that the teacher trainees are going to be examined on their area of specialisation, unlike previously when it was a generalised examination.
The GTLE aims at preparing teachers to meet the demands of the National Teachers’ Standards of possessing the minimum knowledge, skills, values and attitudes necessary to deliver effectively in school.
Candidature
This examination which took off on September 13 to 15, 2023, was taken by 20,181 candidates at 52 centres. In all, 10,733 males and 9,448 females sat for the examination.
A total of 14,438 of the candidates are products from the 46 public colleges of education in the country while the remaining 9,448 of them are from various universities.
The Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED), used as one of the examination centres in the Ashanti Region, has the highest number of candidates, recording 1,501, while the Tumu College of Education centre has the least, with 58 candidates.
The candidates wrote a “General Professional Knowledge Paper” while “Grade-level Specialism Pedagogy” will be written today.
On Friday, they will write “Multiple Subjects Content/Single Subject Specialism.
In a brief statement, the Head of Public Relations of the NTC, Dennis Osei-Owusu, said the NTC wished the candidates well and assured them that the examination would be within their capability.
He gave the assurance that the examination would be conducted based on what the candidates specialised in and so there would be no cause for alarm.
Mr. Osei-Owusu advised the candidates to ensure that they lived beyond reproach by following the instructions of the examination to set a good example for the very students they would be teaching and administering examinations to.