At a 2026 Budget Workshop for Members of Parliament (MPs) held on Sunday, education advocate Kofi Asare, Executive Director of Africa Education Watch (EduWatch), revealed that Ghana must recruit at least 30,000 new basic school teachers in the 2026/2027 academic year if the nation expects any meaningful progress in foundational learning.
According to Asare, this recruitment drive is not optional — it is essential. He emphasized that without deploying these teachers—particularly to underserved and rural communities—education delivery will be severely constrained in the coming year.
Key Highlights From His Presentation:
1. 30,000 Teachers Needed for 2026/2027
Asare stressed that the Ghana Education Service (GES) must prioritize basic school teacher recruitment, especially at the foundational level. He explained that many schools still operate with inadequate staff, leaving classrooms unattended in some districts.
2. Decentralize Teacher Posting, Fix Inequality
He urged the Minister for Education to ensure GES fully decentralizes teacher deployment. Instead of the current centralized system—which often sends too many teachers to urban centres like Tamale while rural areas like Chereponi lack teachers—he proposed a quota-based system tied to verified vacancies.
3. Rationalization + Incentives Needed
Asare argued that teacher deployment must be supported by:
- The 20% deprived area allowance, and
- Adequate teacher accommodation, especially in hard-to-reach areas.
This, he said, is the only way to achieve fair and sustainable distribution.
4. Technical & Vocational Education Must Be Strengthened
On TVET, Asare called for:
- Workplace Experience Learning (WEL), and
- Provision of PPEs under Free SHS,
to ease the financial pressure on parents with children in vocational schools.
With Ghana producing 500,000 secondary graduates annually, but only 200,000 progressing to tertiary institutions, he said strengthening skills training is the only route to reducing the 32% youth unemployment rate.
He also recommended that 20% of all secondary school infrastructure investment be dedicated to TVET, including converting 6 out of the planned 30 E-Blocks into technical and vocational institutes.
5. MPs Encouraged to Monitor Education Projects
Asare acknowledged the more than 1,200 basic school projects—including staff quarters and toilet facilities—announced in the 2025 and 2026 budgets. He called on MPs to collaborate with EduWatch to ensure transparency, quality, and accountability in their execution.
EduWatch and Parliament: Ongoing Partnership
Kofi Asare reiterated EduWatch’s commitment to providing technical support to Parliament in strengthening budget oversight. He noted that the budget influencing process continues until the appropriation stage concludes later in November.
Bottom Line:
The much-anticipated GES recruitment for 2026/2027 is expected to target at least 30,000 new basic school teachers — a number experts say is necessary to keep Ghana’s education system functional, equitable, and future-ready.
Source: GESHub.org
