The Ashanti Regional branch of the Ghana National Association of Private Schools (GNAPS) has criticized the incorporation of private school teachers in the implementation of the teacher licensing law.
According to the association, the closure of schools will result from the expansion of the teacher licensing law to private school instructors.
They want the National Teaching Council (NTC) to exclude private institutions as a result.
Acting President of the association, Philip Boakye Yiadom, stated on the sidelines of a conference held in Kumasi that the majority of Private School teachers are Senior High School (SHS) graduates who may not have the resources to complete the course necessary to obtain a Teacher's license, which would be in violation of the Teacher Licensing law.
"If I cannot support my teachers who lack the financial means to apply for a license, I would have to allow them to leave my school in order to avoid NTC prosecution," he explained.
He explained, "Some of these SHS students accept teaching positions in these schools to earn money for their tertiary education, and they can resign or leave the school at any time without notifying the proprietors, even if they have a license."
Mr. Boakye emphasized that expanding the scope of the law to include private schools will cripple the private school industry.
"The enforcement of the Act will kill private schools because if a proprietor cannot find a certified teacher, he will be forced to close his school out of fear of being prosecuted."
However, he emphasized that the law is applicable to public school instructors because they are permanent employees with higher salaries than their private school counterparts.
James Obeng, the Ashanti Regional Director of the National Teaching Council (NTC), stated that the implementation of the Teacher licensing law is accelerating, and those who violate the law will be punished.
"Now we're moving into the licensing enforcement phase, and we've already begun taking action against anyone who teaches without a license.
The NTC will deal with that individual because the law is clear," Mr Obeng revealed.
In order to avoid prosecution, he urged teachers in both public and private institutions to obtain a teaching license.