By Grace Zigah
The John Dramani Mahama government is set to cancel Ghana’s controversial teacher licensure examination by August 30, 2025, marking the final administration of the test and ushering in a new phase of teacher certification reforms.
The Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu confirmed the decision during a press briefing, signaling a significant shift in how teacher competence will be assessed going forward.
This announcement fulfills a longstanding pledge made by President John Dramani Mahama during his 2024 campaign, where he described the licensure exams as an unnecessary bottleneck for teacher trainees.
The policy, which has faced opposition from trainee teachers, unions, and some education experts, will now be replaced with a new assessment framework embedded in teacher training institutions.
“If there is a last opportunity for those who sat and couldn’t make it, that process should not travel beyond 30th August,” Iddrisu stated, urging education stakeholders and the registrar to collaborate on final arrangements.
The teacher licensure examination, introduced in 2018 under the previous administration, was meant to standardize entry into the teaching profession.
However, it quickly became controversial, with critics arguing it placed an additional burden on graduates who had already undergone rigorous training and academic evaluation.
In line with this policy shift, the Ministry of Education has received a report from a technical committee tasked with reviewing the teacher licensure framework.
Iddrisu commended the committee for its “far-reaching recommendations” aimed at ensuring a more holistic and practical approach to teacher evaluation.
New Assessment Model to Replace Paper-Based Licensing
The new model, according to the Education Minister, will integrate licensure into the final-year assessments of teacher trainees.
It moves away from purely written exams and will instead focus on supervised practicum evaluations, structured mentorship programs, and in-classroom demonstrations of teaching competency.
“This is not just about academic performance. We want to ensure that newly trained teachers are practically prepared for real classroom challenges,” Haruna Iddrisu emphasized.
Once implemented, teacher trainees will be certified based on their performance during teaching practice, professional conduct, and coursework, removing the need to sit for a separate licensure exam post-graduation.
Campaign Promise Being Fulfilled
This development comes almost a year after President Mahama, then flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), announced plans to scrap the licensure exams at the launch of the party’s manifesto in Winneba in August 2024.
At the time, Mahama argued that the licensing regime was not only redundant but demoralizing for teacher trainees who had completed accredited training programs.
“We’ll abolish teacher licensure exams and integrate it into their final year exams,” Mahama promised. He also unveiled the “Teacher Dabre” project to provide accommodation for teachers in newly constructed schools — a broader initiative to improve teacher welfare.
What Happens Next?
The current administration has pledged that this will be the final time the standalone licensure exam is conducted. Teacher trainees who previously failed will have a final opportunity to resit the exam before the end of August 2025.
In the coming months, the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), in collaboration with the National Teaching Council and Colleges of Education, will begin rolling out the new framework.
