A member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Manifesto Committee on Education, Dr. Clement Apaak, has outlined plans for significant changes in teacher training should John Mahama win the December 7 elections.
Speaking at the third edition of Adom TV’s Badwam Sectorial Debate at the Accra Digital Center on Friday, Dr. Apaak revealed that the next NDC government would eliminate the licensure examination for teacher trainees.
Instead, a final-year course and assessments would be introduced to better equip trainees for their teaching careers.
Additionally, he noted that upon completing their studies, teacher trainees would be posted directly to their jobs, bypassing the requirement for national service.
“The next Mahama administration will cancel the licensure examination for Teacher Trainee graduates and post teachers immediately after completion without requiring national service. We will replace the licensure exams with a course that the teacher trainees will take in their final year and assessments going forward,” he said.
Dr. Apaak further elaborated on the NDC’s proposal to cover academic user fees for all first-year students at public tertiary institutions.
He mentioned that by redirecting the GETFund to its core purpose of developing educational infrastructure, the Student Loan Trust would receive additional funding, ensuring support for students from their second year onwards.
“We propose that all first-year public tertiary students have their academic user fees absorbed. After the first year, once the GetFund has been decapped, it will accumulate all the money and provide the Student Loan Trust with a reasonable amount so that students can apply for the loan to continue their education from the second year onward.
“This policy aims to address the initial barrier to admission. Decapping GetFund and redirecting its focus to its original mandate, which is the construction of educational infrastructure.”
Regarding tertiary education reforms, the NDC proposes eliminating the quota system for admissions to nursing and teacher training colleges, which would allow for increased enrollment.
Additionally, the party plans to collaborate with the private sector to expand residential facilities and establish six new universities in Ghana’s newly created regions.