The Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has indicated that government may review and increase the current teacher recruitment quota of 7,000, acknowledging that the figure falls short of addressing the growing number of trained but unemployed teachers across the country.
The Minister made this known on May 1 during a public holiday gathering, where he addressed concerns surrounding employment opportunities in the education sector.
Speaking on the issue, he revealed that more than 10,000 trained teachers are still awaiting employment, raising concerns about the adequacy of the current recruitment numbers. He admitted that the 7,000 slots allocated to the education sector do not fully reflect the staffing needs of schools nationwide.
In contrast, the health sector reportedly received about 15,000 recruitment slots, a disparity that has sparked discussions among stakeholders. Many argue that, given the large number of schools across Ghana and the critical role of education in national development, the sector requires a more significant share of employment opportunities.
Haruna Iddrisu assured that government is aware of the imbalance and is actively considering measures to increase the number of teachers recruited. He emphasized that efforts are underway to ensure that more qualified teachers are absorbed into the system to strengthen teaching and learning outcomes.
The potential increase in recruitment slots is expected to bring relief to thousands of trained teachers who have been waiting for placement, while also helping to address teacher shortages in many parts of the country.
Further updates on the recruitment process are expected as government finalizes its plans to expand opportunities within the education sector.
