Teachers trained in Ghana will no longer be able to use England’s direct application service for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) following changes introduced by the United Kingdom’s Department for Education (DfE).
The change took effect on September 9, 2026, and also affects teachers who trained in Nigeria and India.
Under the revised rules, Ghanaian-trained teachers can no longer apply for QTS through the UK’s “Apply for QTS in England” service. The DfE said the eligibility requirements had been updated to strengthen the verification of teachers’ professional qualifications and employment history.
QTS is the professional status used by many schools in England to assess teachers’ qualifications. While it is not legally required in every type of school, the UK government says having QTS can improve a teacher’s prospects when applying for teaching jobs.
The DfE said countries whose teachers remain eligible for the direct application route must have a national regulator capable of confirming a teacher’s professional standing and must also be able to provide employment references that meet the department’s requirements.
For Ghana and Nigeria, the department specifically cited difficulties with the verification of employment references.
According to the DfE, more than 70 percent of applications from teachers in Ghana and Nigeria included work-history references using public email services such as Gmail or Hotmail instead of official school email addresses.
The department said this situation required assessors to spend additional time and resources trying to verify information submitted by applicants.
The change is significant for Ghanaian teachers who had been using the direct recognition system as a pathway towards teaching in England.
Figures reported for the 2024/25 academic year show that Ghanaian and Nigerian teachers submitted a combined 2,143 QTS applications. Ghana accounted for 1,067 applications, while Nigeria accounted for 1,076. Across the two countries, 560 applications reportedly resulted in QTS awards, while 1,348 were declined.
Despite the policy change, the UK government has stressed that Ghanaian-trained teachers are not banned from teaching in England.
Several alternative routes to QTS remain available to overseas-trained teachers, depending on their qualifications, teaching experience and individual circumstances.
One option is assessment-only QTS, which allows experienced teachers to demonstrate that they already meet the required teaching standards without completing another teacher-training programme. Applicants generally need a degree and substantial teaching experience, including experience in at least two schools.
Teachers can also consider teacher training in England or International Qualified Teacher Status (iQTS). The iQTS route allows eligible teachers to train while living and working outside the UK and does not require them to travel to England for the training.
The UK government also states that qualified teachers from outside the UK may be able to teach in England for up to four years without QTS, subject to the applicable conditions and exemptions. After that period, QTS may be required in many schools.
The latest changes therefore close one direct recognition route for Ghanaian-trained teachers but leave other options available for those seeking to work in England.
For Ghanaian teachers considering opportunities in the UK, the new rules mean that they will need to examine the alternative qualification and training pathways and determine which one applies to their individual circumstances.
Source: Thepressradio.com
