The National Teaching Council (NTC) has disclosed that 12,279 teachers are currently teaching in Ghana without the required professional certification.
According to a report by Graphic Online published on June 1, 2026, the council is stepping up efforts to sanitise the education sector and has warned that over 100,000 non-professional teachers in basic and private schools risk being removed if they fail to regularise their status.
Speaking at a matriculation ceremony for the Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) programme at the Catholic University of Ghana, NTC Director for Teacher Licensing, Francis Addae, said a recent compliance audit uncovered thousands of graduate teachers working without the mandatory teaching certificates required for licensing.
He noted that the situation poses a major threat to the quality of education, particularly in rural communities where the shortage of qualified teachers is more pronounced.
“The time will come when you may not be allowed to teach,” Addae warned, stressing that the NTC intends to eventually bar unlicensed teachers from classrooms.
Despite the large number of uncertified graduate teachers identified at the Senior High School level, only 1,421 are currently enrolled in the PGDE programme designed to help them meet licensing requirements.
To encourage more teachers to regularise their status, the NTC has reduced the cost of the PGDE programme from between GH¢8,000 and GH¢9,000 to GH¢5,000, with flexible payment options available.
The council has also introduced additional financial support for female teachers aged 35 and below through the Ghana Accountability for Learning Outcomes Project (GALOP).
Addae urged affected teachers to take advantage of the opportunity before stricter enforcement measures are introduced.
Meanwhile, Vice-Chancellor of the Catholic University of Ghana, Professor Daniels Obeng-Ofori, reminded participants that teaching is a noble profession that plays a critical role in shaping the nation’s future and development.
