Licensure Exams: Blame Teacher Training Colleges For Mass Failure – National Teaching council
The Registrar of the National Teaching Council (NTC) has indicated that teacher training colleges in the country are responsible for the mass failure of teachers in the recent licensure examinations.
According to Dr Christian Addai-Poku, the training colleges have not done enough to equip students with the skills needed to manage and teach in classrooms.
He described the situation as one which victimizes the students.
He explained that most institutions offered long-distance programmes and sandwich courses. However, NTC data showed that these people were in the majority of the failures recorded during the examination.
“When you look at NTC data over time, at any point, you will see an average of between 50% and 65% of the people who fail are distance and sandwich mode. Regular candidates tend to do better in the exam.
“The challenges are many, but for me, I always say that the candidates are victims because the institutions are supposed to train them and bring them out well refined and fit for purpose because you have admitted people for a programme, a professional programme,”
Dr Addai-Poku mentioned that if teachers did not have command over the English language and the skills needed to teach, it was a major concern for the NTC.
He noted these failures started in 2018, since the licensure exam began, and the body has since taken steps to find lasting solutions to the problem.
Meanwhile, he said his outfit has been working behind closed doors to improve the examination process and reduce failures.
This, he said, had led to the NTC reforming the examination.
In the past week, key stakeholders have shared a similar view as the registrar of NTC.
His comment follows revelations by the NTC that about 83.5% of candidates failed the teachers’ licensure exams held in May 2023.
The assessment in numeracy, literacy, and professional knowledge is to enable qualified teachers to get a professional license while attracting young graduates with the required professional knowledge and skills to teach.
He made this disclosure during a discussion on Joy News on June 24.