GNAT calls for College entrance examination cancellation

The teacher union, the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) following the introduction of the Education College entrance examination by the National Teaching Council (NTC) has called for the revocation of the test.

Dubbed Ghana Basic Education Skills Examination Test (GBEST), the new exams will ensure students seeking to pursue teacher education in various public teacher training institutions are qualified to be trained as professional teachers.

Dr Christian Addai Poku, Registrar of the Council speaking at a stakeholder engagement held in Greater Kumasi indicated the students before being given College of Education admission will be tested on numeracy and literacy.

He said only candidates who will pass the Ghana Basic Education Skills Examination Test (GBEST) will be considered for admission to pursue various teacher education programmes in public Colleges of Education (CoE) in the country.

“The GBEST will, thus, be used as the entry assessment for the trainee teachers and after completion, the students will be made to write a level and subject-based licensure examination to be qualified as professional teachers,” he stated.

But, the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) in a statement copied to AcademicWeek has said the National Council’s decision to conduct a College entrance examination for WASSCE graduates is a step in the wrong direction.

“NTC once again is attempting to craft a policy and arbitrarily foist it on the education enterprise. the NTC should cease being a Regulator and Implementer; it does not have the mandate to be so,” GNAT General Secretary said on Tuesday.

The Teacher Union in the press release dated February 8, 2022, said it is “tired and wearied with this idea of throwing out policies and programmes into the educational milieu without consultations with bodies which matter.”

We wish to reiterate, that we are not against reforms to education; we stand for the best for education in the country; however, we won’t stand for policies, programmes and pronouncements off-the-cuff,” the Teacher Association noted.

GNAT Secretary, Mr Thomas Musah in the statement said the NTC as a Regulator and not an Implementer does not have the mandate to administer any sort of entrance examination for prospective students seeking College admission.

“The Agencies vested with the powers must be allowed to work, and come out, only when the proper consultations have taken place and consensus reached. We ask for nothing more than this,” he said in a letter to Education Minister.