Licensure Exams: NDC Flagbearer Hopeful Sues National Teaching Council

A lawyer and flagbearer aspirant of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Elikplim Agbemava, is seeking an interim injunction at the Supreme Court to stop the teacher licensure exams from happening.

He is praying the court to direct the National Teaching Council “to stop, cease or halt the ongoing registration and intended examination of only newly qualified teachers pursuant to the Guidelines and procedures for the Licensure Examination until the final determination of this suit.”

Mr. Agbemava also insists that based on Article 190 (1) (a) and 3 of the Constitution, “Parliament lacked the power to create new public institutions that is, the National Teaching Council, National Inspectorate Board and the National Council for Curriculum Assessment to manage Ghana's educational system.”

Almost 14,000 teachers have so far registered for the exam which is yet to take place.

The examination applies to all teachers who hold the Diploma in Basic Education (DBE), Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) or a post-graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) who want to be employed by the Ghana Education Service.

The National Teaching Council is to oversee the exam in accordance with the Education Act, 2008 (Act 778).

But in his suit, Mr. Agbemava also argues that the Ghana Education Service, per Article 190 and the Ghana Education Service Act of 1995 (Act 506) “is the only and sole public body mandated by the 1992 constitution to manage, administer, execute and regulate an educational system in Ghana.”

In addition, he has said the “Guidelines and procedures for the Licensure Examination for only newly trained teachers is discriminatory, arbitrary, an abuse of power and inconsistent with the 1992 Constitution and therefore unconstitutional.”

The National Teaching Council had extended the registration for the teacher licensure exams to Friday September 7, 2018.

Registration for the exams was expected to end on September 4, 2018.

Already, some teachers have been protesting against the exams saying it is being rushed without adequate preparation by them.