By Lawrence Odoom/Phalonzy
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has pledged government’s resolve to expand the recently declared 7,000 teacher recruitment allocation, following vociferous concerns from teacher unions decrying the figure as woefully insufficient.
The commitment comes on the heels of sharp rebuke from the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and allied unions, who argue that the quota scarcely dents the employment backlog of over 10,000 trained graduates from Colleges of Education and other tertiary institutions still languishing without postings.
Speaking during the May Day commemorations in Kumasi on Friday, May 1, the Minister conceded that the present ceiling fails to match the exigencies of national demand.
He contrasted the education sector’s allocation with that of health, observing that while 15,000 recruitment slots have been earmarked for health workers, the provision for teachers remains disproportionately meager despite education’s vastly broader institutional footprint nationwide.
In his assessment, there exists a compelling justification to upscale teacher recruitment, given that Ghana’s educational infrastructure eclipses its health facilities in sheer number.
“The 7,000 is not enough, particularly where health workers had 15,000 and others. There are more schools than hospitals, so government will work and up the numbers,” he stated.
Mr. Iddrisu reaffirmed government’s steadfast commitment to redressing the grievances, assuring that stakeholder engagements will be convened to recalibrate recruitment thresholds in consonance with national imperatives.