The Teacher Trainees Association of Ghana (TTAG) has expressed serious concerns over the government's recent directives on teacher recruitment, following the latest announcement from the Ministry of Education.

In an interview on Radio Tamale’s “Wake Up Tamale” with host Kennedy Addy, TTAG President, Nanija Divine, expressed his dissatisfaction with the current recruitment terms.

He outlined three main issues that, he says, do not align with the association’s expectations. He first criticized the proposed recruitment numbers, stating,

The government intends to recruit only 7,000 out of the 45,760 qualified teachers available nationwide. He argued that this figure is too small and urged a reconsideration to accommodate more qualified teachers.

Secondly, Divine raised concerns about the recruitment process itself.

Over the years, recruitment has been based on badges. The 2023 badge should be absorbed before moving on to the next year’s badge. However, the government plans to employ only 7,000 teachers from the three badges—2023, 2024, and 2025.

He called for a clear national road-map to monitor the number of qualified teachers still awaiting posting. Divine also recalled the promise made by the government during the recent campaign to automatically post trained teachers.

The government promised to restore automatic posting for trained teachers when they come into power. We supported this promise, but now it seems we are being betrayed, he lamented.

Meanwhile, the Director of School for Life and a vocal advocate for education reforms, Hajia Widad Sayibu, has emphasized the importance of targeted recruitment.

She argued that “this is the right time for targeted deployment,” advocating for a decentralized recruitment process that would help bridge regional gaps and ensure equitable distribution of teachers across all districts.

The concerns raised by TTAG and education reform advocates highlight ongoing debates over the best strategies to address teacher shortages and improve education access nationwide.

By: Amadu Latifa