Friends From Colleges of Education (FFCE) wishes to acknowledge all newly trained teachers for participating in the just ended Ghana Teachers’ Licensure Examination which took off from 10th-12th September, 2018, despite our fight against the implementation of this policy.
Also, we will like to draw the general public’s attention on the issues that popped up during the lincensure examination and issues arising after the examination.
1. The consideration of validity and reliability typically are viewed as essential elements for determining the quality of any standardized test.
The licensure examination totally contrasts standardized tests because; students who offered different courses were made to sit for the same exams. Examples: French, Science /Technical, and all the specialized students who never studied Mathematics throughout their three years stayed in college were made to write Mathematics (we are referring to the numeracy as mathematics because, it was not a numeracy question) in the licensure exams.
We believe that NTC has not treated these students based on their perspective fields of study, and this is likely to cause failure hence their denial the opportunity to teach in the basic schools.
Notwithstanding, our colleagues who offered early childhood in college were made to answer the same questions.
How could they answer whilst they never studied such course?
2. There was variation in time at the various examination centers. The examination was supposed to commence at 9:00am to 10:15am but there was delayed, and there was no proper communication as to why it was delayed.
Some people wrote at 9:00am whilst others at 1:00 pm and other at 6:00pm to 7:15pm. This brought a colossal panic, stress and frustration among candidates.
3. Numeracy is the ability to reason and to apply simple numerical concepts. Basic numeracy consist of comprehending fundamental arithmetic like addition, subtraction, multiplication and division without even using a calculator.
For that matter NTC personnel stated it clearly when they came to our various colleges that, calculators would not be allowed in writing the numeracy, but NTC went against that by bringing calculus and Pythagoras theorem questions instead of numeracy of which they cannot be solved without calculator.
Also, the validity and reliability of the numeracy test were hindered. In Assessment, subjectively score items results in lower variability. And testing conditions also, where administrators do not adhere strictly to uniform test regulations and practices, students score may not represent their actual level of performances and this tend to reduce reliability.
4. The format of which numeracy questions were to be set were changed. In the policy documents of NTC, it was stated clearly that the numeracy consist of 60% objectives and 40% subjective questions but to our surprise, five (5) subjective questions were set without objectives and they were not even numeracy questions.
5. There was no serial number on the numeracy question paper which made it invalid.
6. In assessment, test items should be brief and understandable but in the case of the essential skills, some test items were too long. On the part of the literacy too, questions 29 and 30 were incomplete. There was no passage but yet they demanded answers from the question on a ‘passage.’
NB: If NTC is saying that there was a leakage of the examination questions, then they must investigate the root of the leakage and match the consequences accordingly and we the candidates must not be at the suffering side of raising the marking scheme or cancelling the examination.
Again if NTC is stating it clearly that they will base on only the numeracy to evaluate us, then we say emphatically that they have gone against their own policy which expel that, three dimensions will be used to evaluate us, namely, Essential skills, literacy and numeracy.
In addition, meaning, every candidate have attained 60% of the mark already since it was stated in the NTC document that the numeracy comprises 60% objectives and 40% subjective respectively. Again, on the part of the numeracy question paper, it was invalid since there was no serial number on the question paper.
We call on NTC to put into consideration one colleague of ours, Matilda from ST Monica College of Education and others, who had an accident on their way to their various colleges to write the exams. NTC must rather give them the chance to be posted since they registered for the exams but unfortunately they were not able to write due to their accident. Then also, it is our plead that, NTC should contribute something towards their treatment.
Even though, NTC has done their best in conducting these licensure exams. We the newly trained teachers state emphatically that, we do accept this licensing policy but we are against it implementation.
The whole implementation is against the law because; there is no “legislative instrument” on the policy and for that matter it is illegal. Therefore we do not accept it implementation, so we call on NTC to follow the right way.
For this reason, we the newly trained teachers want to seek for the interpretation of the law on the 25th of September, 2018 at the High Court, Accra.
We are also calling on all media houses and the general public to be present on the said date to witness.
Finally, we want to state emphatically that, NTC was in a haste in the implementation of this whole policy and for that matter; we the newly trained teachers are much disappointed in the doings of The National Teaching Council (NTC) And the Ministry of Education.
Signed by:
Mr. Frank Yeboah
Newly Trained Teacher
(0545226187)