The Upper East Regional Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), Richard Akumbase, has expressed concern over the large number of teachers in Ghana’s schools who lack professional teaching qualifications, describing the situation as a major challenge for the education sector.
Speaking on A1 Radio following revelations by the National Teaching Council (NTC) that more than 42,000 teachers do not possess professional teaching qualifications, he said the development was not surprising.
According to him, a professional teacher is not defined solely by academic qualifications but by formal training in education. He explained that individuals who obtain degrees or diplomas in subject areas without studying education-related courses such as teaching methods, child development, assessment and practical teaching are regarded as non-professional teachers.
He noted that under current NTC guidelines, only professionally trained teachers qualify to sit for teacher licensure examinations, meaning many non-professional teachers in the system are automatically unlicensed.
“Per the NTC guide, you cannot write for license if you are non-professional teacher. So it means that all those who have not done professional education courses, automatically, are non-licensed teachers because they cannot license somebody who hasn’t got a professional qualification in teaching.”
The CHASS chairman revealed that some teachers currently in classrooms may have served for several years without obtaining professional teaching certification, partly because earlier recruitment policies focused on filling vacancies in schools rather than enforcing professional requirements.
“Until recently, they were just employing graduate teachers or even diploma teachers to be able to fill a vacant classroom that existed in our secondary schools.”
He also pointed to a mindset among some teachers who view teaching as temporary employment while pursuing careers in other professions, leading many to neglect further training in education.
“One of the biggest challenge in Ghana, or among our agencies, is that, some even think that teaching is just a stepping stone so some of them hold a degree in some special areas, they get a job as a teacher and instead of going to do the post graduate diploma in education that will make them professionals, they think that ‘oh but I’m going to leave the teaching, I’m just hanging on’. So they rather prefer to go and do other professional courses.”
Mr. Akumbase stressed that professional teaching qualifications are essential because academic knowledge alone is not enough to effectively handle students with diverse learning needs. He warned that failure to equip teachers with proper pedagogical skills could negatively affect learning outcomes and the long-term development of children.
He called for urgent interventions to help teachers already in the system acquire professional qualifications while also ensuring that future recruitment prioritises professionally trained educators.
A1 Radio | 101.1 MHz | Gifty Eyram Kudiabor | Bolgatanga
