The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has announced that Cabinet has given the green light for the recruitment of 6,100 additional teachers to address critical staffing shortages across the country’s education sector.
The minister disclosed this while briefing journalists in Accra on Wednesday, November 19.
Describing education as Ghana’s largest employer, Mr. Iddrisu reiterated the government’s unwavering commitment to strengthening the teaching workforce and improving learning outcomes.
The announcement comes amid ongoing protests by some 2023 teacher trainees who have been demonstrating in Accra, demanding financial clearance, postings, and salary validation.
Addressing their concerns directly, the Education Minister assured the agitating trainees that they have been fully captured under the newly approved recruitment batch.
“I understand that some striking teachers are looking for us on the streets of Accra. Let me respond to them that the Cabinet has approved the recruitment of 6,100 more teachers, and therefore that category of teachers, which belongs to the 2023 cohort, is adequately captured,” he said.
Mr. Iddrisu expressed surprise at the protests, urging the affected trainees to channel their energy into completing the necessary administrative processes instead.
“I’ll be surprised if it is the same group that is on the street,” he noted, adding: “They should rather be looking for us and going back to the offices for the purpose of audit and identification, to be reinstated and to be paid.”
He appealed to the protesting teachers to immediately return to the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service for verification and processing, stressing that the Cabinet approval demonstrates the government’s resolve to resolve their issues and facilitate their smooth integration into the service.
The recruitment is expected to commence soon, with further details on timelines and procedures to be communicated in the coming days.
