GES to recruit new teachers to teach Bawku & Pusiga basic schools

The Ghana Education Service (GES) is set to recruit newly trained and qualified teachers who are indigenes of Bawku and Pusiga in the Upper East Region to teach in various government basic schools in the area. 

This follows the faster pace at which the majority of teachers employed by the Ghana Education Service (GES) leave their posts in Bawku and Pusiga in the Upper East Region over security concerns amid a not ending soon conflict.

The Ghana Education Service according to a report is recruiting teachers already residing in the Bawku enclave to teach and manage the schools with the belief that no matter the situation they would not leave the area.

Available statistics from the GES indicate that so far, 495 basic school teachers have fled the Bawku Municipality and Pusiga District since 2022. The Municipal Directorate in Bawku in 2022 and 2023 released 166 and 205 teachers respectively.

Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the Regional Director of the GES, Bright Lawoe, said they thought it wise to come up with the idea since the situation in the area was very worrying and the schools could not be closed down over the lack of teachers.

He mentioned that subsequently, a team met with the top management of the Ghana Education Service (GES) to discuss how to deal with the exodus of teachers in the Bawku area in order that it does not affect basic education.

The Upper East Regional Director of GES said the GES under the auspices of the Ministry of Education (MoE) was currently putting together the list of interested teachers for onward submission for the next line of action, stressing

“Only teachers who have successfully completed their course of study passed their licensure examination as well as done their national service qualified under the arrangement,” he told the Daily Graphic in a discussion.

He said once all the conditions for the special arrangement to recruit the teachers were satisfied, the Minister of Education would fast-track the financial clearance for such persons to be employed to teach in the affected schools.

He expressed optimism that the necessary processes would be completed ahead of time to enable the new teachers to start work at the commencement of the 2024/2025 academic year in September.

He assured stakeholders that the Service was doing everything possible to address the problem so that all schools within the Bawku enclave were not short-changed but had the required teachers to improve teaching and learning.