Request for Proposal – An evaluation of the current teacher licensing regime Introduction

The National Teaching Council (NTC) is mandated by the Education Regulatory Bodies Act 2020 (ACT 1023), to license teachers in Ghana. The purpose of the Ghana Teacher Licensing Examination (GTLE) is to identify suitable candidates (teachers) for a professional license. The professional license is the highest mark of professional accomplishment that makes the Ghanaian teacher a member of a larger network of accomplished educators shaping the profession and human lives. It demonstrates the legal authorisation of the mandate of the NTC, indicating that a teacher has met all the standards required for the profession.

National Teaching Council-NTC

The NTC in 2018 rolled out the GTLE. Candidates are assessed on Essential Professional Skills, Numeracy and Literacy based on the National Teachers’ Standard. Since its inception to date, a total of 112,235 teachers (made up of 60,647 males and 51,588 females) have taken part in the examination.

Once a candidate has passed the Licensure Examination, NTC issues a provisional license to the candidate, thus assuring the public that the licensee has met the minimum qualification or requirements to practice, at the time of the initial Licensure.

The NTC seeks to conduct an evaluation of the current teacher licensing regime, with a specific focus on the implementation of the GTLE for the last three years (2018, 2019 and 2020).

Related Posts:

NTC Portal Registration – National Teaching Council

NTC Portal – Ghana Teacher Licensure Examination (GTLE)

Teachers Portal Ghana Login Guides – tpg.ntc.gov.gh

Teacher Portal Ghana – tpg.ntc.gov.gh login

Overall objective

The objective of this study is to gather evidence to inform any national level decision making regarding the GTLE. Specifically, the study will ascertain:

• whether the processes, and procedures put in place for the examination is fit for purpose (i.e., registration, reporting of results, advertisement, test writing, test administration and scoring, reporting of results and management of the scores, enabling the council to achieve its stated objectives).
• appropriateness and relevance of the contents and structure of the GTLE.
• the perception of stakeholders about the GTLE.
• the professional characteristics being exhibited by teachers who passed the GTLE since its inception.

Justification for this study

After three years of implementing the GTLE, there is a need to evaluate it against its original purpose, identify emerging challenges, lessons learned and make recommendations for improvement. This will inform NTC’s policy reform regarding the GTLE conduct.

Research Design

Considering the nature of the research questions, a mixed methods approach will be used to collect the data from stakeholders as listed below:

• Ministry/Agencies
• Colleges of Education / Universities
• Unions
• GTLE Supervisors
• Community leaders

Scope of Work

The firm to be contracted for this assignment will be responsible for the following tasks:

1. With NTC and T-TEL, understand the aims, objectives, and vision for the study. We intend to implement this contract through a collaborative partnership with the contracted firm and is amenable to and encourages ideas and suggestions that can improve the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of the overall assignment.
2. Submit an inception report within two weeks of contract signing. At a minimum, the inception report should include a desk research on teacher licensure examination including GTLE, identify the key stakeholders to interview, a detailed discussion of the proposed sampling and data-collection methods¹, a description of the firm’s procedures for assuring quality control, research tools to be used for data collection and a proposed timeline. Upon review and approval of the inception report the contracted firm can begin work on the tasks that follow.
3. Recruit, train, and manage survey enumerators with appropriate experience, preferably with computer-assisted personal interviewing.
4. Collect the required data from the identified stakeholders.
5. Conduct data entry, cleaning, and processing.

Submit a proposed data-analysis plan by fourth week of contract signing that describes how the collected data will be analysed and presented creatively and productively. These should not be generic plans but rather ones that discuss what specific statistical and qualitative methods for analysis will be applied to each data set and topic. An annex to the plans shall include proposed shells for tables and figures.

All data should be disaggregated by sex and stakeholder if possible. At T-TEL’s request an oral presentation to discuss the plans may be scheduled after their submission.

6. Conduct analysis of the quantitative data and provide appropriate interpretation of the qualitative data. We are also interested in any gender-related differences that may exist as well as the reasons for the differences.
7. Submit a draft final report no later than 3^rd September 2021.
8. Address and respond to all comments from the NTC and T-TEL and submit a final report no later than 17^th September 2021.
9. Participate in meetings as and when requested by NTC and T-TEL.

Submission of Proposals

Separate financial and technical proposals should be submitted to Abdul-Karim Kadiri via

[email protected] no later than 12^th July 2021.

Proposals, excluding annexes, should be no more than 15 pages in length and describe the firm’s skills, abilities, and capacity to complete the assignment. Responses should discuss and convincingly demonstrate the firm’s capabilities and experience with;

• data collection and quality control, including that associated with the draft and final reports; and,
• Random sampling that will produce a representative sample of the listed stakeholders. Prior, relevant experience in the education sector is also germane.

Proposals should also include the names and contact information for three prior or current clients and an example of a recent work product in English that best illustrates the firm’s ability to produce a high-quality report for NTC and T-TEL. CVs of all key personnel shall not exceed three pages each. Proposals shall indicate the role of each key person and describe in detail the relevant qualifications etc.

Evaluation of Proposals

25 points: Relevant experience of key personnel included in the proposal plus a discussion of how the enumerators will be selected and trained and their minimum qualifications.

20 points: demonstrated expertise with random sampling, data collection, and data analysis.

10 points: relevant experience conducting education research.

15 points: (a) assessment of a work product completed within the past three years that best illustrates the firm’s ability to produce a high-quality report; and (b) former clients’ appraisal of the firm’s ability to produce high-quality work within the allocated budget and within prescribed deadlines. Technical proposals should include an annex with the current contact information, including email addresses, for the firm’s references.

30 Points (maximum for a firm’s detailed cost proposal denominated in Ghanaian Cedis). The firm with lowest proposed cost will receive 30 points. Fewer points will be awarded proportionately to higher cost proposals. Cost proposals will be evaluated only if at least 50 (of 70 possible points) points are obtained from the assessment of a firm’s technical proposal.

Payment Schedule

• 30 percent of total contract value – Upon approval of the inception report
• 15 percent of total contract value – Upon submission of enumerator training report
• 10 percent of total contract value – Upon approval of a final report
• 45 percent of total contract value – Upon approval of a final revised report

T-TEL, as contracting agent, reserves the right to accept any or no tender, and to cancel the tendering or contracting process at its sole discretion.

Concepts Note for Ghana Teacher Licensure Examination

Reference

National Teaching Council. (2021). Request for Proposal: An evaluation of the current teacher licensing regime Introduction. Transforming Teaching, Education & Learning T-TEL. https://t-tel.org/2021/06/21/request-for-proposals-gtle-evaluation-study/#