The Ghana Education Service (GES) has announced opportunities for qualified serving staff to apply for promotion to various senior grades.

The grades are Deputy Director, Assistant Director I, Assistant Director II and Principal Superintendent.

Aptitude tests

The Director-General of the GES, Professor Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa, speaking to the Daily Graphic, said all the applicants would have to undertake an aptitude test which would cover knowledge of the ministry and the GES, school/classroom management, theories of learning, assessing and evaluation, contemporary issues in education, as well as current and general knowledge.

He said those applying for the rank of Deputy Director would, “in addition , be tested in education administration and management”, explaining that those areas were the same as those used in promotion.

“Officers who get promoted to deputy directorship shall be expected to attend face-to-face interviews, if they desire to become heads of schools or any other position that may require interviewing”, the Director-General said.

Efficiency and effectiveness

The test is part of the revised promotion processes, with the aim to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

Prof. Opoku-Amankwa explained that management agreed that all the staff of the service due for promotion would now undergo an aptitude test for all ranks from Principal Superintendent to Deputy Director.

He further explained that the review had been done after extensive deliberations and consultations with key stakeholders, with the approval of the GES Council and in accordance with regulations of the Public Services Commission (PSC).

“The new promotion process is being introduced for a good reason. Every year about 350,000 GES staff apply for promotion.

“Consequently, GES sets up about 150 panels across the country with each panel having five members. The panels interview a total of eight people a day according to the PSC regulations”, he said.

He said additionally after six months when the results of the interviews were released, it came with petitions and that explained the decision to resort to the aptitude test.

Criteria

Prof. Opoku-Amankwa explained that the current opening was for officers who had been in their current position for the past five or more years continuously.

He explained that an applicant seeking to be promoted to the grade of a Deputy Director, "should have been promoted to the grade of an Assistant Director I, on or before 2015 and should have been continuously at post to date.”

The Director-General explained that for the avoidance of doubt, applicants who wished to rely on their academic qualifications to join the promotion exercise should note that, "Master’s/Doctorate programme should be on the approved GES course of study."

Additionally, he said the Master’s/PhD certificate should not have been obtained before the previous promotion and "applicants should have obtained their certificates on or before 2017 but not before your last promotion."

How to apply

Prof. Opoku-Amankwa advised interested applicants to complete the application form via www.gesticulations.gov.gh and upload a passport size photograph as well, advising that ‘‘only the new updated application forms attached will be accepted.

"An applicant's form must be supported by all previous promotion letters and certificates," he stated, adding that all completed application forms should be uploaded on the website by November 23, 2020.

He said all regional directors of education had been duly notified.