The Ghana Education Service (GES) has said the nationwide teacher promotion examinations will proceed on Monday and Tuesday next week, issuing stringent guidelines that bar any candidate without an official index number from writing the test.

In a statement dated December 26, signed by the Ag. Deputy Director-General, Prof. Smile Dzisi, the Service assured the teaching staff that "the promotion examinations will be conducted as scheduled."

The examinations are set for Assistant Director II and Principal Superintendent candidates on Monday, December 29, from 9 am to 12 noon. Assistant Director I and Deputy Director candidates will write a day later on Tuesday, December 30, within the same three-hour morning window.

The GES management stressed that candidate shortlisting was "conducted strictly in accordance with approved eligibility criteria and documentation requirements," adding that "consequently, some applications could not be considered." All shortlisted applicants have reportedly received an official SMS detailing their Staff ID, Index Number, and assigned Examination Centre.

The statement outlined a clear and uncompromising rule for exam day access. "Only candidates who have been issued index numbers are permitted to report to examination centres to write the examination," it stated, warning that "teachers who have not received an official SMS and have not been issued an index number must not report to any examination centre."

It further explained that "the examinations will be conducted strictly by index number; consequently, any candidate without an index number will not be allowed to write the examination."

However, a recourse was provided for teachers who believe they were wrongly omitted. Those who obtained their last promotion in or before 2021 and met the qualifications but neither received an SMS nor found their name on the official shortlists at regional or district offices are instructed to submit their last promotion letter and proof of application for the current cycle to their regional education office "to enable the service to address any legitimate cases of omission."

On the day of the examinations, candidates must present a valid National Identification Card and clearly write their Staff ID and Index Number on all papers.

The GES management appealed for compliance, saying it would ensure "a smooth, credible, and well-coordinated promotion exercise." 

All inquiries are to be directed to officially designated phone numbers and email addresses, with the service noting that "any further communication will be made only through official GES channels."