Gov’t plans 10,000 teacher recruitment, considers 50,000-teacher proposal for private schools — Iddrisu

The government is planning to recruit 10,000 additional teachers while considering a proposal that could see 50,000 teachers deployed to private schools to help address teacher shortages and improve the quality of education.

Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu disclosed this in an interview, saying the government recognised the critical role of teachers in improving learning outcomes and addressing staffing gaps across the education sector.

He said the planned recruitment of 10,000 teachers would form part of government's broader efforts to strengthen the teaching workforce and ensure that schools, particularly those facing staffing challenges, have adequate personnel.

10,000 additional teachers

Mr Iddrisu said government was preparing to recruit an additional 10,000 teachers, with recruitment expected to take account of the needs of schools and different cohorts of teacher trainees.

He explained that while recruitment would generally follow the order in which eligible cohorts became available, government would also have to consider the needs of deprived areas and schools experiencing acute teacher shortages.

The Minister said the objective was to ensure that teacher deployment responded not only to administrative considerations but also to areas where the need was greatest.

He also disclosed that 6,300 previously recruited teachers had been paid, following the resolution of issues relating to their remuneration and promotional allowances.

He said the relevant payments were expected to be reflected in teachers' salaries.

50,000 teachers for private schools

In a separate but related development, Mr Iddrisu said government was studying a proposal that could provide as many as 50,000 teachers to private schools.

Under the proposal, private schools would receive trained teachers while taking responsibility for paying allowances of up to GH¢2,500.

The Minister stressed that the proposal was still under consideration and should not be interpreted as an already approved government programme.

He said several issues would have to be addressed before such an arrangement could be implemented, including the employment status of the teachers and the statutory obligations that would arise.

One of the issues under consideration, he said, was whether teachers deployed to private institutions would be covered by social security and other statutory arrangements.

Private schools and teacher shortages

Mr Iddrisu said private schools form an important part of Ghana's education system and could play a greater role in addressing teacher shortages.

He said any partnership with private schools, however, must be structured carefully to protect teachers and ensure that schools meet the necessary employment and professional standards.

The proposal could potentially provide private schools with access to trained teachers while reducing some of the staffing pressures confronting the sector.

However, the Minister indicated that government would have to establish clear arrangements covering remuneration, social security contributions and other statutory obligations before the proposal could be implemented.

‘Quality of education reflects quality of teacher’

Mr Iddrisu emphasised that improving education ultimately depends on the quality and availability of teachers.

He said infrastructure and curriculum reforms would have limited impact if schools did not have qualified teachers capable of delivering them.

His comments come as the government also prepares broader reforms to Ghana's education system, including proposed changes to the basic-school curriculum.

The proposed curriculum would introduce areas such as artificial intelligence, coding, robotics and electronics at an early stage of education, increasing the need for teachers with relevant skills.

Recruitment and equitable deployment

The Minister said teacher recruitment must also address geographical disparities.

While some schools have relatively adequate staffing, others, particularly those in deprived communities, continue to struggle to attract and retain qualified teachers.

He said government would therefore have to balance the recruitment of new teachers with effective deployment to ensure that additional personnel reach schools where they are most needed.

The planned recruitment and proposed private-school partnership form part of a broader education agenda focused on improving access, teacher quality and learning outcomes.

Mr Iddrisu said the government was committed to strengthening the teaching workforce as it pursued reforms across basic, secondary and tertiary education.