Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT)
The Ghana National Association of Teachers, (GNAT,) has rejected the introduction of entrance examination for teachers into Colleges of Education dubbed ‘Ghana Basic Education Skills Examination Test’ proposed by the National Teaching Council (NTC).
According to GNAT, NTC is crafting a policy and arbitrarily foisting it on the education enterprise.
In a statement issued by GNAT and signed by its General Secretary, Thomas Musah on Tuesday, February 8, 2022 stated that “it attention was drawn to a document being circulated on social media with a by-line NTC Introduces Ghana Basic Education Skills Examination Test’ purported to originate from the National Teaching Council which suggests that applicants for admission into public training institutions will have to take an entrance examination as part of measures to ensure that only qualified persons are admitted.
According to the association, “We wish to draw the attention of the NTC to Section 60 (a), Part 3 of the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020, which stipulates the functions of the NTC, as advising the Minister (for Education) on matters relating to the professional standing … of teachers, among others, and allow the Ghana Education Service (GES) to play its role as lead agency for the implementation of approved policies and programmes at the pre-tertiary level, and not to subsume it.”
The Association therefore categorically stated that “The NTC should cease being a Regulator and Implementer; it does not have the mandate to be so.”
It added: “We wish to reiterate, that we are not against reforms to education; we stand for the best for education in the country; however, we won’t stand for policies, programmes and pronouncements off-the-cuff; the Agencies vested with the powers must be allowed to work, and come out, only when the proper consultations have taken place and consensus reached.”
Below Is copy of GNAT Statement:
By Vincent Kubi