Former Education Minister and Bosomtwe MP, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, has raised concerns over what he describes as a widening teacher shortage in Ghana’s schools, claiming more than 30,000 classrooms currently have no teachers.
He questioned why the government would limit recruitment at a time when thousands of classrooms are reportedly without teachers and many experienced educators are retiring from the service.
Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, Dr Adutwum said the Education Ministry had sought clearance from Parliament to recruit more teachers but was granted only 7,000 slots.
He argued that the number was inadequate to address the growing demand, particularly as the education sector continues to lose teachers through retirement.
“Over 30,000 classrooms in Ghana are without teachers,” he said.
According to Dr Adutwum, the teacher shortage has direct implications for learning outcomes, questioning how pupils can be expected to perform well in examinations when there are not enough teachers to provide instruction.
“So if we have the money, why don’t we invest in the future of our children by employing teachers?” he asked.
He said the situation was particularly worrying because teachers who retire must be replaced to prevent existing vacancies from worsening.
“As a ranking member of the Education Committee, we have pushed for the government to increase the number but to no avail because a lot of teachers are going on pension and need replacement,” he said.
Dr Adutwum further questioned the government’s priorities in allocating employment clearance across ministries, particularly the disparity between the education and health sectors.
“If the economy is good, why are we not employing teachers?” he asked.
“Every year, we have clearance for teachers. How come the clearance for the Health Ministry is more than Education?”
The former Education Minister stressed that his concerns should not be interpreted through a partisan lens, insisting that his position is rooted in his professional background in education.
“It is not political. When it comes to education, I am first and foremost an educationist; I practiced it before coming to Ghana,” he said.
The Teacher Trainees’ Association of Ghana (Teacher Trainees’ Association of Ghana) in May 2026 called for the immediate reinstatement of the automatic posting policy for newly trained teachers, while describing the government’s recent recruitment of 7,000 teachers as insufficient.
The association argued that the exercise by the Ministry of Education does not adequately address the growing backlog of trained teachers who remain unemployed after completing their training.
They expressed concern over the future of teacher trainees, revealing that more than 45,000 trained teachers are currently awaiting posting, while over 65,000 students are still in Colleges of Education.
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