The National Teaching Council (NTC) and the Ghana Education Service have urged non-professional teachers in basic and second-cycle institutions to take advantage of its special dispensation to obtain the appropriate teaching registration and licensing.

The Council said it was offering a special opportunity to in-service non-professional teachers employed before September 2018 to undergo an exemption exercise to secure a full license given to in-service professional teachers within two years after upgrading to a professional status.

A statement copied to the Ghana News Agency said the exemption period would come to an end by December 2024.

It said the Council as part of its mandate conducted compliance checks in senior high schools in six regions of the country focusing much on teachers’ compliance with the law on teacher licensing.

The data revealed that 7,100 teachers in the senior high schools of the six regions do not possess the right credentials to be in the classroom.

“These are mostly non-professional teachers who were employed before the coming into force of the licensure regime in 2018. Per the transitional arrangement, such teachers need to be supported to obtain credentials that will qualify them for permanent registration and licensing,” it said.

The statement said sections of the Education Regulatory Bodies Act (2020), Act 1023 prohibited people from practicing as teachers unless registered.

It encouraged non-professional teachers to register and undergo prescribed training that would lead to permanent registration and issuance of the appropriate licence to practice.

The statement said all degree holders should enroll in a Postgraduate Diploma in Education programme in an accredited teacher education university and would be issued a teachers’ registration and licence upon completing the programme.

It said the fast-track programme would last 16 weeks and be exclusively for those who were teachers before 30th September 2018.

The statement said all other categories of untrained teachers would be required to attend a week of training at designated institutions and be issued permanent registration upon successful completion of the training.

“Participants in these two programmes will not be required to write the licensure examination, as this forms part of the transitional arrangements for those who were employed by the Ghana Education Service before the introduction of the licensure examination in 2018,” it said.

The statement said the detailed arrangements, including fees, would be communicated in due course.