Teacher licensure exams: l will be wary cancelling an entry barrier which should temporarily sieve the growing 'chaff' from the limited good lot – Franklin Cudjoe

Founding President and CEO of IMANI Centre for Policy and Education, Franklin Cudjoe has disagreed with the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama on his stance to discontinue the teacher’s licensure examination if elected as President in the 2024 general elections.

Mr Cudjoe is of the opinion that based on answers provided by candidates, in the recent teacher’s licensure examination, the purpose of the exam is to sieve the “growing chaff from the limited good lot,” hence, he would be cautious of cancelling it.

The former President has vowed to discontinue the teacher’s licensure examination.

Mr Mahama criticised the concept, deeming it poorly thought-through and expressed concerns about requiring students from Colleges of Education to undergo an additional test before practising.

Addressing supporters in the Bono Region, Mr Mahama questioned the necessity of subjecting students to another examination after completing their training.

He pledged that, if there are issues with training colleges, he would first eliminate the existing licensure examination.

Subsequently, he aims to implement measures ensuring all graduates from colleges of education are considered professionals.

Highlighting his commitment to teachers, Mr Mahama emphasised his interest in their well-being and stated that this proposal aligns with his previous manifesto in 2020.

Reacting to this in a Facebook post on Monday, 20 November 2023, the IMANI Centre for Policy and Education, Founding President, said: “Frankly with the type of answers prospective teachers provided in the recent licensure exams (LE), l'd be wary cancelling an entry barrier like that which should temporarily sieve the growing 'chaff' from the limited good lot.”

Mr Cudjoe continued that: “It seems to me the problem has to do with the very poor quality of instruction, and practical training given in many of our SHS and Training Colleges. “

He is therefore suggesting that: “We need to fix these problems, which means extensively reviewing teaching and learning methods and models.

“When we are satisfied with the level of outcomes, I'd think replacing LE with a continuous professional development programme requiring some form of aptitude and quantitative test will help.”

-classfmonline