Els: MBN360 Education
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has revealed that Ghana’s education sector is facing a severe shortage of teachers, with the country needing between 50,000 and 90,000 additional educators to meet the demands of schools nationwide.
Speaking in Parliament on Thursday, June 18, 2026, the minister said the government is unable to recruit the required number of teachers because of financial constraints and limited budget approvals.
According to him, although the demand for teachers remains high, the government received clearance to recruit only 7,000 teachers this year.
“My need for teachers is between 50,000 and 90,000, but I had clearance for 7,000, and that is what I am making do with,” Mr. Iddrisu told lawmakers.
The minister explained that recent reforms in the education sector have increased staffing needs. He said the government now has to distribute newly recruited teachers among institutions such as the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET).
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He noted that the expansion of these institutions has created additional demand for teaching staff, making it more difficult to address shortages across the country.
“The country has evolved and we have taken reforms that will benefit education in the foreseeable future. We now have the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and the GES, and so when we are recruiting, we allocate teachers for TVET and GES, but there is a difference between need and what I have budgetary approval for,” he said.
The minister’s comments shed light on the government’s decision to recruit only 7,000 teachers, a move that has sparked concern among education stakeholders and unemployed trained teachers.
Many trained teachers have expressed disappointment over the limited recruitment exercise, arguing that it does little to reduce the growing number of unemployed education graduates waiting for posting opportunities.
The teacher shortage continues to pose a challenge to the education sector as authorities seek ways to improve staffing levels while working within budgetary limits.
