Scrap Aptitude Tests and Promote Staff Automatically

SCRAP APTITUDE TESTS AND PROMOTE STAFF AUTOMATICALLY, GES ADVISED.

Almost every school has a head and a Circuit Supervisor. The Heads are not only charged with administrative duties but also monitoring and evaluation of teachers every day within the academic year. These reports is contained in the Annual Performance Appraisal Form, which is easily accessible in the school.

Circuit Supervisors now Circuit Supporters go round schools to ascertain what is contained in the Log books, Appraisal Form, Managerial Tools, etc. They also take time to scrutinize the Lesson Plans and the Teachers Output of Work. They sometimes give advise and counsel teachers.  In some situations, rare of cause, meet out punitive sanctions or report recalcitrant teachers to the education directorate for the necessary action.

In addition to this, a team from the office also visit schools at least once every term for a Comprehensive Inspection to verify all the data provided by the head or Circuit Supervisor.
All these serves as a check on the teacher. These checks and balances are done every term throughout the academic year.

One sad thing about this is the fact that even teachers who are found to have excel during such visits are not promoted whatsoever.

A teacher is only promoted after he or she has successfully completed four complete years of teaching after the last promotion. This promotion is not even automatic. The teacher has to pass through series of interviews, work inspections and now aptitude test before being promoted.

How can you use half an  hour or even an hour to pass a teacher after complete years of hardwork? We all know the existence of interview fever, examination fever, etc, but why do we keep on using it on our professionals.

I recently met a trained teacher with over 30 years experience, but living comfortably, with a rank below Senior Superintendent II.

I know you will be surprise just like I was. He said he could not progress because he does not have the courage to stand before a promotion interview again after two attempts which all proved futile.
But, should we blame him? No. I don't think so. Some of the questions one is subjected to at the

Promotional Interview, sometimes need not to be asked at all. The success or failure of a teacher in class has nothing to do with his religion, gender, ethnic group, marital status, number of children, the Supreme Court, the Woyome Case, Menzgold, etc.

Some may argue, a teacher should know everything. Please, I beg to differ.
Subjecting teachers to this Annual Rituals of 30minutes Interview, but now Aptitude Test is not creating and motivating selflessness, innovation, creativity and dedication among teachers,  if anything it is doing the opposite. This I believe is the reasons for the lackadaisical attitudes among most teachers towards work.

Teachers should not be promoted after every four years. Neither should we promote teachers based on passing "some" cumbersome Aptitude Test or Promotional Interview.
Teachers should be promoted throughout the year.

The Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Education should, if they really want to make the Headteacher, Circuit Supervisor, Work output be relevant, then nothing should stop them from cancelling Promotional Interview and Aptitude Tests for promotion.

Remarkable performance and Improvement should be rewarded to serve as a motivation for others and young teachers.

There are many teachers across the country doing great and wonderful things which needs recommendations and promotion. But, sadly,  such teachers rarely pass the Promotion Interview.

Sometimes, very effective and efficient teachers and other personnel of the service fail at promotional Interviews, not because they don't read or are lazy, but because the workload has made them Stressful. So sometimes, remembering the Code of Ethics, National Issues, etc is sometimes very difficult.

We cannot continue to deny our professionals the benefits of hard work and dedication. There are teachers who cross water bodies before going to school. To some of them it is part of their daily life. I know teachers with a very high population, and they teach these kids alone. There are some who teach in a multi - grade classrooms.

It is now time,  for our policy makers to sit down and design appropriate Promotion Schemes and scrap out this archaic and barbaric Promotional Interview and Aptitude Test.

By AminuWrites,
(Educational Evangelist and Coach)
Contact: 233244299706