After hitting the streets of Kumasi on Tuesday to protest against governments bid to make examination licensing a requirement to teach, a group of teacher trainees who call themselves “Friends From Colleges of Education (FOCE) has turned their demonstration spree to the Eastern Regional capital, Koforidua today.
The group, numbering about 500 converged on the premises of the Wesley College of Education at New Tafo (Krofrom), paraded through some principal streets in the Kumasi metropolis and presented their petition to the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council.
They are expected to repeat same at Koforidua and will converged at the Jackson Park.
The group claims that the intended examination is a strategy by government to cut down the employment of teachers and deny them and their dependants of their livelihood.
Acting President of the Group, Eric Tetteh, in an interview with PrimeNewsGhana ahead of today’s demonstration said they are ready to comply with government in all its policies to strengthen education in the country, but the idea for teachers to acquire licensing certificate after successfully completing training college was unacceptable.
The National Teachers Council (NTC) announced that from January 2018, teachers would have to pass a special licensure examination before being granted the license to teach.
The move, according to the NTC is in accordance with the new Teachers Licensing Policy under the Education Act 778 (2008). The move is aimed at enforcing discipline and eliminates non-performing teachers from the system.
The NTC has said that beginning next January; the ministry would undertake re-registration of all teachers in the country to facilitate the issuance of the licenses.
The renewal of the license, according to the NTC, would be based on professional competence and development of teachers, and that, all teachers would be expected to renew their license within three to five years.
Latest news from Prime News Ghana
Â
Â
Â