Dr. Christian Addai-Poku, Registrar at the National Teaching Council (NTC) says a number of prospective teachers among those who failed in the Teacher Licensure Examination last May have no business entering classrooms to teach.

According to him, some of them lack even the basic language skills to teach, including some who cannot even construct a five-word sentence correctly, and wondered what medium of communication they would be employing to teach.

Explaining how come over 80 percent of candidates who sat for this year’s Teacher Licensure Examination failed, Dr. Addai-Poku said a good number of the candidates are re-sitters, with some writing the exam about nine times without success.

He was speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosiisen programme on Tuesday and told programme host, Omanhene Kwabena Asante that images of marked examination scripts which appeared on social media depicting horrible misspellings and lack of appreciation of some of the examination questions, are no ruses but true reflections of candidates’ poor performance in the examination.

Dr. Addai-Poku said calls for the NTC – the body in charge of the professional development and licensing of teachers - to have compassion on the failing prospective teachers and pass them because they need the jobs, do not make sense.

He said if no parent will be irresponsible enough to employ someone who cannot express himself in basic English to teach their wards at home, how right would it be for a regulatory body as the NTC to approve same individual to take up a teaching appointment in any classroom.

It is not about being wicked to them but there are some of them that are just not fit, he said, adding that some of the re-sitters are beyond redemption, with others even going to the extent of reproducing examination questions as answers and yet get the copying wrong.

Dr. Addai-Poku pointed out that come next year, the basic requirement for applicants to teacher training colleges will be a first degree, and counselled all without the requisite qualification to acquire same if they desire to train as teachers.

He also explained that a new dispensation also comes into force in the New Year to replace the present mode of examining trainee teachers, adding that degree holders who have been offered further opportunities to rewrite the licensure examination will have to start it all over again if they are unable to secure their required passes this year because they would forfeit whatever passes they have presently.

Many have expressed disbelief since a report on the performance of the trainee teachers who sat for the licensure examination became public, with as many as 6,481 out of 7,728 prospective teachers failing.