Mahama Promises To Reintroduce Automatic Promotion Of Teachers

Former President John Dramani Mahama continues to overture tit bits of policies and programs that his government will implement if the National Democratic Congress (NDC) wins the 2020 election, with the latest being a promise to reintroduce automatic promotion of teachers.

Consequently, he reiterated that his government will scrap that controversial teacher licensure exams that has caused many confrontations between teachers and the current NPP government.

“We will bring back the automatic promotion of teachers. And cancel the teacher licensure exams.” he said.
The former President made the promise today while launching an electronic payment platform for members, admirers and sympathizers of the NDC to contribute funds towards the 2020 elections.
President Mahama dismissed accusation from the Akufo-Addo government that his promise to cancel the licensure exams is not sincere since it was the NDC that introduced that very exams.
“To be clear, we never sought to use exams to promote teachers,” he said.
The former President also used the platform to reiterate other policies that he has already indicated his government will pursue if he returns to power in 2021.
“The first infrastructural projects we will fast track are the completion of the 200 day secondary schools . we will also build additional new E blocks in dense urban areas,” he said.

Mr. Mahama reiterated that he will make Technical and vocational education free of charge. the NDC’s Free TVET program will operate from second cycle schools to tertiary levels, so that all students undergoing technical and vocational programs at secondary and tertiary levels will pay no fees.

“As we speak only 48 TVET institutions under GES benefit from free shs. The remaining 240 TVETs have not been catered for. NDC will bring all of them into free education,” he said.

He said the NDC intends to realign all technical and vocational educational institutions and place them under the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET).

An NDC government will also build and operationalize new public universities which will have campuses in the six newly created regions. These new universities will focus on technical, vocational and engineering programs, President Mahama said.

He said his government will also rollout national apprenticeship program for some 200,000 out of school youth such as head-porters “Kayayei” to acquire training and education. These will be trained at the expense of state and provided with internationally certified certificates. “They will also be given start up kits.”

The next Mahama government he said, will also abolish the requirement for college of education graduates to do compulsory national service.

“We will abolish double track and ensure we increase contact hours between students and teachers. We will not buy past questions for students,” he said. The former President also reaffirmed that he will drastically reduce the size of government.