The Call for Official Policy on Teacher Induction in Ghana: Revisiting the Issue

Abstract

Whilst training institutions provide theoretical knowledge and pedagogical skills that teachers need to use when they assume duty, support mechanisms through induction need to be offered to make them ready for the teaching task. The study sought to unearth how pre-tertiary institutions carried out their induction practices. Descriptive survey design was adopted for this study. The data generated were analysed using descriptive statistics. Questionnaire was the main instrument used to gather data from the subjects of the study. The study illuminates that majority of the new teachers did not receive induction upon assumption of duty, the duration of the induction exercise for those who received it  was very short and most issues supposed to be dealt with during teacher induction programmes were not covered during the induction exercises. It is crystal clear that most of the schools do not set in place measures to ensure that this all- important step in a teacher’s career is executed effectively. It is reasoned that there is the need for the sector ministry to have an official policy on teacher induction for the schools. Such an induction regime should clearly indicate the issues to be dealt with, duration and the officers to prosecute the programme. To this end, the education authority and the various heads of schools should provide support for new teachers on regular basis, and participation should be made mandatory for all new entrants into the profession. A better co-ordination between the various strands of teacher education from pre-service training, through initial career support to in-service professional development is what the teaching service needs in order to meet the challenges it is confronted with teacher satisfaction, commitment and retention.

Key words: training institutions, induction, handlers, duration, contents of induction schemes and official policy.