Who Regulates Education in Ghana-the Ministry of Education or its agencies?

The Ministry of Education in Ghana is made up of 19 agencies that help it deliver on its mandate to create an enabling system that focuses on promoting problem solving, creativity and building critical skills through academic, technical, and vocational programmes. Above all, the Ministry of Education strives to develop the abilities and capabilities for Ghanaian youth for the world of work. In August 2020, the Parliament of Ghana introduced the Education Regulatory Bodies Act 2020, ACT 1023- the provides the legal mandate for the operation of 5 agencies in regulating education at various levels. Among the19 agencies, here are the 5 Education Regulatory Bodies you need to know and their specific functions in supporting education delivery in Ghana.

• Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC)- read more
• Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET)- read more
• National Teaching Council (NTC)- read more
• National Schools Inspectorate Authority (NaSIA)- read more
• National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA). – read more

The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC)

Here’s the fun part of what GTEC does in Ghana: they are responsible for accreditation of various educational institutions in Ghana ensuring that the programmes, their processes, certifications are relevant for the services they wish to provide to Ghanaians in their bid to help promote the Ministry of Educations core mandate to prepare the Ghanaian for the world of work.

Here’s a more detailed description: At the Introduction of the Education Regulatory Bodies Act 2020, Act 1023, the then National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) and the National Accreditation Board (NAB) were merged to form the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC). GTEC among other functions, is solely responsible for the efficient and effective administration and accreditation of education institutions in Ghana, and provision of principles to govern quality of service by tertiary education institutions. Generally, GTEC in delivery of its mandate has since 2020 been responsible for ensuring that accredited educational institutions apply the highest quality standards and relevance of teaching, learning and research programmes and outcomes; promote equitable and inclusive access to all tertiary education programmes and promote a culture of independent, lifelong learning and of scientific and technological inquiry among staff, students, and wider society.

To read more about them visit their page here: GTEC | General Overview

The Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET)

Another agency that was formed at the introduction of the Education Regulatory Bodies Act 2020, Act 1023 is the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET) with the mandate to regulate, promote and administer technical and vocational education and training for transformation and innovation for sustainable development. They do this by formulating national policies for skills development across a broad spectrum of pre-tertiary and tertiary education: formal, informal, and alternative education. They are also responsible for advising the Minister on all matters relating to the management and improvement of the technical and vocational education and training system in Ghana.

To dive deeper into the functions of the CTVET, visit their page here: Who We Are | Commission for Technical and Vocational Educational and Training 

The National Teaching Council (NTC)

The National Teaching Council is the agency of the Ministry of Education mandated to promote teacher professionalism in Ghana. They deliver on their mandate by licensing teachers, keeping a database of teacher in Ghana, developing, and reviewing professional standards and code of ethics for teaching, conducting the teacher licensure examination, and regulating continuous professional development of teachers in Ghana.

To read more about the NTC, kindly connect with them here: Home – National Teaching Council 

The National Schools Inspectorate Authority (NaSIA)

The National Schools Inspectorate Authority (NaSIA) was formerly known as National Inspectorate Board (NIB). The National Schools Inspectorate Authority (NaSIA) is the agency responsible for conducting an independent external evaluation of the quality and standards in basic and second cycle educational institutions in the country on a periodic basis. NaSIA has the mandate to develop, publish, promote, license all public and private Pre-Tertiary Schools, and enforce the highest quality standards for quality education in public and private Pre-Tertiary Educational Institutions in Ghana.

More about NaSIA- NaSIA | National Schools Inspectorate Authority – Enforcing standards, Ensuring quality.

National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA)

NaCCA is the agency mandated to develop national curriculum and assessment standards for pre-tertiary education institutions other than technical and vocational education and training institutions across the country. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) was first established as an advisory body to the Curriculum Research and Development Division (CRDD) of the Ghana Education Service (GES). The goal was to help manage and implement the Curriculum Policy of the Ministry of Education (MoE) towards the attainment of education objectives and development of goals of the Ministry of Education for Ghana.

Find out more about NaCCA here: Who we are – NaCCA