EduWatch gives reason for delay in 2024 GES teachers recruitment

Africa Education Watch (EduWatch) after receiving several petitions from teachers seeking to be recruited into Service by the Ghana Education Service (GES) has given reason for the delay in the 2024 recruitment of graduate teachers.

In a social media post sighted by Thisterm.com, the Executive Director of EduWatch, Kofi Asare said the recruitment has been delayed because the government has invested its amount in payment of teacher trainees’ allowance.

“After the nurses, I hear the teachers are also planning to hit the streets over delayed recruitment. Some claim they have been home since 2020, which is concerning.

Perhaps, every week, Eduwatch receives more petitions from teachers seeking Ghana Education Service recruitment than the Ghana Education Service itself. Teacher recruitment is a function of cash.

The fact is, between 2020 and 2024, over GHC 1 billion was invested in Teacher Trainees Allowance, a wasteful political policy amid a beautiful guarantor-free student loan scheme where your Ghana Card is all you need to access.

For your education, the amount spent on funding teacher trainees allowances is part of the salary budget of the Ministry of Education. It is not manna from heaven. It has an opportunity cost.

That amount could have employed and paid the salaries of at least 4,000 teachers every year. For those in school, anytime you eat free, remember the opportunity cost is 4,000 teachers recruitment forgone.

The political parties have started promising another ‘allowa’ because of your votes. Are you selfless enough to ask them to cancel the ‘allowa’, add the amount to your recruitment budget each year and grant you access to the student loan scheme?”

Meanwhile, the Teacher Trainees Association of Ghana (TTAG) says plans are far advanced for the Ghana Education Service to recruit trained teachers who have sat and passed the Ghana Teacher Licensure Examination (GTLE) this academic year.

In a statement shared with Thisterm.com, the leadership of the Teachers Association said it has engaged the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Dr Eric Nkansah regarding the postings for eligible trained teachers.

TTAG indicated that the management of the Ghana Education Service under the auspices of the Ministry of Education is awaiting financial clearance from the Ministry of Finance (MoF) for the 2024/2025 trained teachers’ recruitment.

“They are actively working towards expediting this clearance process to facilitate the recruitment of trained teachers who have successfully served the nation and passed their Ghana teacher licensure examination,” the Association said.