JUST IN: NTC revises teacher licensure examination [Check details]

The National Teaching Council (NTC) introduces new NTC reforms on teacher licensure examination. The NTC is the organization required by the Constitution to grant teaching licenses to Ghana’s certified instructors. As a practicing or aspiring teacher, we must be aware of the significant modifications this body has made to the test methods. Every test-passing candidate is awarded a professional teaching license, which serves as proof to the public that the holder has complied with all requirements for the profession.

Since the exam’s introduction in 2018, it has sought to find eligible candidates who are deserving of the professional certificate. The first test was given in 2018 and has continued since then. The exam is administered twice a year and consists of three papers: numeracy, literacy, and language.

Even though the exam went off without a hitch, it still needs to be evaluated in light of its original objectives, some new issues need to be identified, and the performance of the entire policy needs to be improved. The Council’s primary goal was to make sure that all certified and licensed teachers have the skills, knowledge, and values required to promote learning. Their goal is to raise the caliber of instruction provided by teachers and students output.

As a result, the NTC made the decision to put new changes into place that would serve to enhance the way the exam is conducted and address both present and anticipated future difficulties.

1. A single paper called General Paper will combine the three papers, Numeracy, Literacy, and Essential Skills. There will be two more papers added. We have the paper on Related Pedagogy and Teaching Based on Subjects.

2. The pedagogy is related to the teaching profession, the sciences, and the arts. It looks at teaching styles, criticism, evaluations, and various instructional approaches. Paper on Teaching Subject-Based will assess instructors’ expertise in their areas of specialization. Every subject or specialty has a different level of skill, and the purpose of this particular paper is to make sure the instructor is competent in this particular specialization.

3. These changes will go into effect in March 2023. This indicates that these new changes will be implemented for the first time in the 2023 exam. Additionally, it indicates that the candidates taking the exam’s second administration this year will be the final group to take the exam using the previous curriculum.

4. In addition, the exam won’t be paper-based anymore; instead, it will be computer-based, which will draw greater attention to technology.

5. This change will also ensure that teachers are not given the incorrect assignments. A teacher has the choice to go and sit and write in that particular region if they haven’t studied that subject. If you succeed on the subject-based exam, you have the necessary expertise to teach the subject with assurance. As a result, this reform will give teachers more freedom.

If you believe you can handle a certain subject, all you need to do is sit down and write about it, and NTC will grant you a license attesting to your competence in that area.