Member of Parliament for Builsa North, Dr Clement Apaak has proposed the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) John Mahama’s alternative to the cancellation of the teachers licensure exam.
According to him, the next NDC government will resort to a compulsory final year course for trainee teachers.
He disclosed this on Adom FM’s morning show, Dwaso Nsem Monday, stating that, the trainees irrespective of their area of specialisation will be required to take the course.
“They will also write an exam for the compulsory course and once they pass together with their certification course, it will secure their appointment and deployment nationwide,” he explained.
The clarification from the Deputy Ranking Member on Education Committee comes after Mr Mahama reiterated plans to cancel the licensure exam if elected President in the 2024 election.
The former President has said the exams is needless, hence his decision to scrap it.
Speaking at Wenchi in the Bono region as part of his ongoing Building Ghana Tour, Mr Mahama asserted that, teachers already take such exams at every stage of their training.
His comment has attracted mixed reactions with many stating his would undermine the progress made in the policy, which he deemed a “game changer.”
Reacting to the criticisms, Mr Apaak stated the former President is not opposed to examining teachers as a basis for certifying them as professionals.
However, he stated like some teacher trainees and stakeholders in the sector, Mr Mahama is opposed to the current arrangement towards certification.
“This is not the first time we have spoken about cancelation of licensure exams and the compulsory NSS before posting. Also, Mahama is not against a decision to professionalise teachers and give them license; it is just the current mode.
We believe there is a cheaper, simplified and rigorous way of doing it compared to the current arrangement that is what we are going to implement,” he stated.