The Minister of Education, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, has welcomed a visiting delegation from Sierra Leone who paid a courtesy call to understudy Ghana’s educational system. The meeting, held at the Ministry of Education, provided an opportunity for the Sierra Leonean officials to learn from Ghana’s advancements in teacher professionalization, licensing, and professional development.
The engagement commenced with opening remarks from Dr. Christian Addai-Poku, the Registrar of the National Teaching Council (NTC), who provided an overview of the Council’s mandate. He explained that the NTC was constituted in 2011 to professionalize the teaching profession and outlined its key roles, which include improving teacher education, ensuring the production of quality teachers, facilitating continuous professional development, and implementing the teacher licensing regime. He emphasized that Ghana’s efforts have attracted several countries, including the UK, Ethiopia, South Africa, and Liberia, to study the country’s Teacher Professional Development (TPD) Framework and teacher licensing systems. Sierra Leone now joins this list of nations keen to benchmark with Ghana.
Mr. Lans Keifala, Chairman of the Teaching Service Commission of Sierra Leone, expressed his delegation’s interest in understanding Ghana’s teacher registration and licensing system. He highlighted Sierra Leone’s goal of ensuring that only qualified and licensed teachers are assigned to classrooms. He also sought insights into Ghana’s TPD Framework, particularly in linking teacher performance management to school leadership through an allocated credit system.
During discussions, Mr. Keifala briefly explained Sierra Leone’s free education policy, which covers all aspects of basic education and selected areas of senior high education. In response, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu noted that Ghana has made significant strides in educational reforms. He mentioned that while Sierra Leone’s model currently provides free education and feeding only at the basic level, Ghana’s system extends beyond that, incorporating free tuition for first-year university entrants.
The meeting underscored Ghana’s growing role as a leader in education on the African continent, with its systems serving as models for other countries seeking to enhance their education sectors. The Sierra Leonean delegation expressed appreciation for the knowledge-sharing session and pledged to leverage Ghana’s experience in shaping its educational policies.
Delassie Awuku Mabel
Public Relations Unit
Ministry of Education.
03
Mar 25
