We have challenges when it comes to the training of teachers in Ghana – Teacher Assessment Consultant

Teacher Professional Development Expert and Assessment Consultant, Professor Jonathan Fletcher has bemoaned the low standard and the orientation of Ghana’s teacher education institutions and the training of teachers.

His concern comes on the back of the failure of Over 6000 teachers out of 7,728 who sat for the teacher licensure exams last month as was disclosed by the Registrar of the Ghana Teacher Licensure Examination (GTLE), Dr. Christian Addai-Poku.

The Teacher Professional Development expert made his point on 3FM Sunrise Morning on Thursday 22 May, 2023 that we need to make sure that the right people get into the teacher training institutions. Then again, the more you get people in, and you don’t match it with the right resources, that is what you are going to get.

“How are you going to have one hundred people in a class? Elsewhere the teachers are not even trained in institutions like that; teachers are going to teach in schools and that is where they are trained. In the schools, they have training classes, and they work with real teachers. If it is a university program, they only go to the university maybe once or twice a week” Prof Fletcher stated.

He explained that having a large class size undermines effective teaching and learning since a teacher is handling more students, it makes it difficult to effectively assess and supervise the trainees.

“In the first place we have challenges when it comes to the training of teachers therefore, I wouldn’t say anybody who has come out of a teacher training programme is hundred percent prepared for the work. People have to learn on the job and the first thing is to make sure that people who are actually going to do the job have the commitment and secondly are prepared” he said.

According to the consultant, the system makes it difficult to assess the many teachers so there is the need to find a way to ensure that before they go out and teach, they are well prepared hence there is nothing wrong with the licensure exams because it will help all.

“If you have one teacher training a hundred trainees, how many of them can the teacher know and have a one-to-one session with? That is impossible, whereas elsewhere every student will have a one-to-one with a teacher. It is like producing people on a conveyor belt,” he bemoaned.