Government has justified the recruitment of 7,000 teachers nationwide, saying the decision is driven by budgetary constraints despite a large national teacher deficit.
Addressing the media at the launch of the 19th eLearning Africa Conference in Accra, Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu explained that Ghana would have recruited far more teachers if resources were available.
“There is a teacher deficit in Ghana. If resources were available, we should be employing and recruiting up to 50,000 teachers across the country,” he stated.
He said the Ministry of Education received financial clearance to recruit only 7,000 teachers with diploma and degree qualifications.
“The Ministry of Education received clearance from the Ministry of Finance to recruit up to 7,000 teachers with degree and diplomas,” he noted.
He added that over 40,000 applicants applied before the recruitment portal was closed to prevent overcrowding.
“And as the portal opened, when it got to 40,000, the Ghana Education Service instructively closed it in order that we didn’t have a stampede of numbers,” he explained.
According to him, only the best-qualified applicants will be selected, with further recruitment dependent on future budget availability.
