The National Teaching Council (NTC) has disclosed that more than 42,000 teachers currently teaching in basic and senior high schools across the country do not possess professional teaching qualifications.

According to the Council, 12,279 unqualified teachers are at the senior high school level, while more than 30,000 others are teaching in basic schools without the legally required credentials.

Director in charge of Licensing and Registration at the NTC, Francis Addai, revealed the figures in an interview with JoyNews following a nationwide survey conducted by the Council.

“We conducted research, a survey in all senior high schools, and we saw that we have about 12,279 teachers who are unqualified, but they are teaching. We have more than 30,000 of them also in the basic schools," he disclosed.

Mr Addai described the situation as a major concern for the education sector and announced measures to address the challenge through professional training and certification.

To tackle the issue, the NTC, in collaboration with five universities, has introduced a fast-track Postgraduate Diploma in Education programme to help graduate teachers become professionally certified and licensed to teach, Mr Adai said.

"So NTC, in collaboration with five universities, which are UCC, UEW, MUSTED, Valley University, and UDS, is to organise a fast-track postgraduate diploma in education for all graduates so that NTC can also issue the license for them to teach as required by law. This is fast-track; within 18 weeks, they are done,” he mentioned.

He explained that the programme would run for 18 weeks across two semesters at a subsidised fee of GH¢5,000.

Mr Addai appealed to unqualified teachers in public and private schools to take advantage of the initiative to regularise their status and meet the legal requirements for the profession.

“Yes, the fees are highly subsidized; that is 5,000 cedis for the two semesters, and then it is also run in the shortest possible time. Within 18 weeks, they are done with the program. So we're appealing to all non-professional teachers in both basic and senior high schools to take advantage of this initiative by NTC and the Ministry of Education to become professional teachers as required by law."

Meanwhile, the first cohort of 1,400 students has matriculated at the University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development and is expected to complete the programme by August 2026.