The forum brought together special education teachers from special schools, special education teachers (resource teachers) who are attached to cluster of public schools to provide support for pupils with special needs, officers attached to Metropolitan Municipal and District Education Offices, as well as other special education service centres.

It is a NASpEG programme organised termly to build the capacities of members on new issues and policies pertaining to the growth of the educational sector. Dr Peter Attafuah, the Greater Accra Regional Director of Education, called on all stakeholders, especially teachers, to support government efforts, to ensure the smooth implementation of the PTPDM for enhanced learning, teacher value as well as their professional status.   

The PTPDM he said was a new framework for supporting, developing and nurturing teachers in Pre-Tertiary Education to become proficient practitioners capable of providing quality education for children.

He encouraged all special education teachers to work very hard as their additional professional qualifications places them at an advantage, both locally and internationally since all schools in the country now need their services following the launch of the Inclusive Education Policy.

“You have become hot cakes,” and therefore urged heads of schools to gather data on both teaching and non-teaching staffs, and submit regular reports to the head office for effective monitoring and evaluation of their activities.Mr Emmanuel Tawiah Aboagye, the Deputy Executive Secretary of the National Teaching Council (NTC), addressing the topic on: “Licensing of Teachers- Implications for the Special Education Teacher,” said teacher licensing was just one of the components of the PTPDM policy.

 He explained that the purpose of the license was to ensure that the nation’s classrooms were e staffed by high quality, well-trained and committed, who were assigned to teach where they were supposed or required to teach.

Mr Aboagye said teacher licensing was very relevant as it confirmed one’s professional status, and served as a prerequisite for the holder to teach in both private and public basic and secondary schools, and also ensured that teachers progress along the career path with the acquisition of necessary and prescribed professional competence.

The Policy also seeks to motivate excellence in teacher performance and commitment to lifelong learning, ensure that their work is governed by professional standards and conditions of service foster evidence-based career advancement and promotion as well as raise the value and social status of pre-tertiary teachers in Ghana.

He said the PTPDM framework adopted a competency and evidence-based approach in the development and management of teachers, and required that all teachers were assessed based on defined competencies and evidence of professional proficiency.

Performance appraisal and promotion under the new Policy shall therefore be based on defined competences and evidence of teacher proficiency, he said. Mr Aboagye said this would foster the development of world-class teachers capable of contributing significantly to student learning and achievements, promoting the adoption of reflective teaching approaches, to enhance the quality of lesson delivery in Kindergarten (KG), Primary, Junior and Senior High (J/SHS) Schools, as well as in Technical and Vocational institutions.

He said imposing more rigorous standards in teacher licensure would lead to better student achievement, and offer an avenue through which teachers’ professional status could be internationally benchmark, which in turn, led to improved recognition.

Therefore the standard for teaching profession must constitute standards of technical skills and professional capabilities that a teacher need to function completely, skills and capabilities in which learners parents, the teaching profession itself and the wider community could have confidence in like any other recognised profession.

Mr Aboagye said the new standards for full registration and licensing of teachers would be seen as the gateway to the teaching profession and the benchmark of teacher competence.

He said those working with this standard would be expected to develop and apply their knowledge, skills and expertise through inquiry and sustained professional learning to deepen and develop subjects, curricular and pedagogic knowledge to be able to lead learners and the learning of colleagues.

 He said by law the license was mandatory for teachers to be able to practice, just as in professions like law and medicine , thus the NTC would have to register all teachers including those with existing licenses, and ensure that only those qualify under the law are registered by the Council for hiring by the Ministry of Education (MOE).

“Teachers of Kindergarten, the elementary schools, junior and senior high (JHS) schools will get a license certificate for each type of school they teach. Teachers of JHS or senior high schools (SHS) will require a teaching license for the type of school as well as for each subject area they will teach”, he explained.

He said teachers of special need schools would require license for both a teaching certificate for a special need school and a teaching certificate corresponding to each division of a special needs in areas such as KG, elementary, as well as in JHS/SHS school divisions.

He said teachers responsible for children’s care and those for guidance and counselling would also have a different license.    He said the benefits and implications of having teaching license was enormous as its sustenance would ensure professional development and provide teachers with an easy knowledge of their status as attestation could be given by the NTC.

He said licensed teachers could teach anywhere both in Ghana including the private sector, and also in the internationally arena and even after retirement at age 60.  However non-governmental organisations in education must have certified license from the NTC and the MOE before engaging in any teaching and training activities in schools, thus ensuring quality in the delivery of in-service professional teacher training.

It is hoped that teacher licensing shall add more dimensions and phases that would help bring the best practices of teachers in Ghana.