Minister for Education Haruna Iddrisu has announced that teachers who accept postings to rural and deprived communities will now qualify for study leave with pay after serving for two years instead of the previous three.
The move forms part of a package of incentives by the Mahama administration aimed at attracting and retaining teachers in underserved communities across the country.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Thursday, July 2, 2026, Mr. Iddrisu said the government was committed to improving the welfare of teachers while addressing staffing shortages in rural schools.
“As part of government’s efforts to attract, motivate and retain teachers in deprived and underserved communities, special incentives have been put in place for teachers who accept postings to such areas,” he said.
He explained that the qualifying period for study leave with pay has been reduced to encourage more teachers to accept postings to remote communities.
“Originally, it was three years if you were in a deprived area. We have reduced it now to two years. Any person who accepts posting to a rural deprived area, after two years of service, can apply for study leave with pay,” the Minister stated.
Mr. Iddrisu also reaffirmed government’s commitment to introducing a 20 per cent rural posting allowance for teachers working in deprived areas.
He said the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Ministry of Finance were collaborating to roll out the policy.
“Government is committed to roll out the 20 per cent salary allowance we assured for rural posting, and the Ministry of Finance, the Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Education are working on implementing that,” he noted.
The Education Minister further disclosed that discussions were ongoing to implement President John Dramani Mahama’s Teacher Dabre Initiative, which seeks to provide accommodation for teachers serving in rural communities.
According to him, inadequate housing remains one of the major factors affecting teacher deployment and retention in underserved areas.
He said government intends to ensure that new school infrastructure projects include residential accommodation for teachers.
Mr. Iddrisu explained that the initiative would be implemented through a decentralised approach under the supervision of the Administrator of the District Assemblies Common Fund.
He added that government plans to leverage the Ghana Social Opportunities Project (GSOP) pension fund, which has approximately GH¢12 billion, as collateral to finance the programme.
“What the Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Education will provide would be our pension fund, referred to as GSOP, which has about GH¢12 billion standing, that can be used as collateral to roll out the Teacher Dabre Initiative,” he said.
The Minister noted that a joint Cabinet memorandum involving the Ministries of Finance, Education, Works and Housing, and Local Government would be submitted to guide the implementation of the initiative.
He said the measures form part of government’s broader strategy to improve teacher welfare, strengthen education delivery and ensure equitable access to quality education in rural and deprived communities.
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