By Yussif Ibrahim, GNA
Ejisu-Abankro, May 1, GNA – The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has strongly criticised the government’s decision to recruit only 7,000 teachers, demanding an immediate and substantial increase in the number to address rising unemployment among trained teachers.
The Association described the figure as grossly inadequate, noting that more than 100,000 qualified teachers from Colleges of Education and other tertiary institutions remained without jobs.
A communiqué issued by the National Council of GNAT at the end of its meeting at Ejisu-Abankro and read by Mr Prosper Tachie, its National President, said the decision was unacceptable and must be urgently reviewed.
“The current recruitment figure does not reflect the realities on the ground and falls far short of addressing the backlog of trained but unemployed teachers,” the communiqué stated.
GNAT said government’s position contradicted earlier assurances, including commitments tied to public sector pay negotiations, to expand employment opportunities in critical sectors such as education.
The Association warned that the continued neglect of unemployed trained teachers posed a serious threat to national security and demanded swift action to avert potential consequences.
It further insisted that government must prioritise the recruitment of teachers who completed their training earlier, stressing that fairness and transparency must guide the process.
The communiqué also highlighted the worsening teacher attrition rate, pointing out that thousands of teachers had exited the Ghana Education Service in recent years, thereby deepening staffing gaps in schools.
GNAT maintained that the situation required urgent intervention and called on government to take decisive steps to absorb a significant number of trained teachers to fill vacancies and improve teaching and learning outcomes.
“The National Council demands an upward review of the recruitment numbers to reflect the scale of unemployment and the needs of the education sector,” it added.
The communique also raised concern about non-payment of intervention allowance to Senior High School (SHS) teachers since 2024.
It said due to the double track system, management of SHSs and teachers in some schools do not go on vacation and are not compensated for extra work they do.
“Conference calls on government to ensure prompt payment of the intervention allowance and clear all arrears immediately and also demands compensation for the extra work those teachers do,” it requested.
The Association reaffirmed its readiness to engage government but stressed that immediate action was non-negotiable to safeguard the future of the country’s education system.
GNA
Reporter: Yussif Ibrahim
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Edited by Christabel Addo