Civil society organisations(CSOs) in Northern Ghana have sounded the alarm over what they describe as a deepening teacher shortage in rural communities, a situation they say is crippling basic education and widening inequality across the region.
According to the groups, the government’s current teacher recruitment and deployment strategy has failed to address disparities between urban and rural schools, leaving as many as 68 percent of teaching vacancies unfilled in remote areas.
At a press conference in Tamale, Project Manager of School for Life, Zulgadine Amadou, said the problem has been worsened by bureaucratic delays and a rigid centralised recruitment system.
“While the existing teacher recruitment and deployment strategy is well-intentioned, the outcomes have been undesirable,” he said.
“Around 68 percent of vacancies remain in rural areas, and in four out of six districts, over 70 percent of students who took the 2020 BECE scored above grade 30, a clear indicator of poor quality education.”
Mr. Amadou added that some teachers manage to avoid rural postings altogether by seeking transfers shortly after being assigned, further undermining equitable distribution.
He called for urgent reforms to decentralise teacher recruitment, arguing that local authorities should be empowered to respond directly to the specific staffing needs of their communities.
“The current centralisation of recruitment and deployment creates unnecessary bureaucracy and delays, leaving rural schools in crisis,” he stressed.
Source: AdomOnline
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