Minister for Education Haruna Iddrisu has disclosed that Ghana is facing a significant teacher shortage, with the education sector requiring between 50,000 and 90,000 additional teachers to adequately staff schools nationwide.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Thursday, June 18, the Minister said financial constraints and limited budgetary allocations have prevented government from recruiting the full number of teachers needed to close the gap.
According to him, although the demand for teachers remains high, government has only received approval to recruit 7,000 teachers.
“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.
The Minister explained that ongoing reforms in the education sector have increased staffing demands, particularly with the expansion of institutions under the Ghana Education Service and the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training.
He noted that newly recruited teachers must be distributed across both the mainstream education system and the technical and vocational education sector, further stretching available human resources.
“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 Training 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,” he explained.
Mr. Iddrisu’s comments come amid concerns from education stakeholders and trained teachers over the government’s recent recruitment exercise, which provided only 7,000 teaching positions.
The Education Minister maintained that recruitment decisions are largely driven by available financial resources, stressing the need for government to balance staffing requirements with fiscal realities.
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