GNACOPS gives date for UEW teacher education course

The Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS) teacher education course to be instructed by the University of Education for private school teachers will begin in 2023, the Director of the Council has told AcademicWeek.com.

Speaking to an Editorial Staff of AcademicWeek, the President of the Private Schools Council, Enoch Kwasi Gyetuah said the UEW teacher education programme has received approval from all necessary stakeholders after its development.

“The UEW programme has been developed, approval has been received from all necessary authorities. We are only working on an academic calendar that would help us achieve the implementation of both face-to-face and online hybrid systems,” he stated.

Designed by 6 faculty members of the University of Education (UEW), the teacher course forms part of efforts to promote teacher professionalization for untrained private school teachers in the country to be licensed teachers.

Applicants with minimum entry requirements will automatically be admitted to the programme while applicants of 25 years and over will qualify to sit for the Mature Students Entrance Examination and gain admission if they pass.

However, applicants who do not fall into the two aforementioned categories would be offered the opportunity for an Access Course for three weeks following which they would be assessed and qualified students admitted. 

Untrained private school teachers after completing the Ghana Private Schools Council and University of Education (UEW) teacher education programme will be issued a teacher license card by the National Teaching Council (NTC).

The move for UEW to train the private school teachers follows a decision by the National Teaching Council (NTC) to phase out all untrained and unlicensed private school teachers from various classrooms by the 2025 academic year.

Ahead of the forthcoming UEW education programme, Mr Gyetuah says the central government as part of efforts to enhance teacher professionalization is sponsoring some 4,000 private school teachers to become professional teachers.

“In the meantime time, the government is sponsoring 4000 private school teachers to become professional teachers with the following categories of certificates, a certificate in Education for all WASSCE and SSCE Holders,

Others are; Post Graduate Diploma in Education for all those who have done tertiary education in related studies, Degree in Basic Education for all diploma in basic Education holders,” the GNACOPS Executive Director noted.

On the same flagship programme, Obengfo Gyetuah also said the government is sponsoring about 1,000 private school owners for Educational Leadership Courses to light their competencies in School Management.