The Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has revealed that Ghana’s education sector requires between 50,000 and 90,000 additional teachers to adequately meet the staffing needs of schools across the country.
Speaking on teacher recruitment and staffing challenges, the minister said financial constraints and limited budgetary approvals have prevented the government from employing the number of teachers needed to close the gap.
“The country has evolved and we have taken reforms that will benefit education in the foreseeable future. We now have the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and the GES, and so when we are recruiting, we allocate teachers for TVET and GES, but there is a difference between need and what I have budgetary approval for.
“My need for teachers is between 50,000 and 90,000, but I had clearance for 7,000, and that is what I am making do with,” he stated.
His comments shed light on the government’s recent decision to recruit only 7,000 teachers, a move that sparked widespread debate among education stakeholders and unemployed graduates seeking opportunities in the sector.
