Eduwatch Raises Alarm Over Teacher Shortage Affecting 30,000 Classrooms
Ghana is facing a significant teacher shortage crisis, as highlighted by Kofi Asare, the Executive Director of Africa Education Watch. With approximately 30,000 classrooms in operation without teachers due to the government’s failure to recruit new teaching staff in 2025, the impact on education has been severe.
During an interview on Channel One TV on Tuesday, January 13, Asare emphasized the detrimental effects of the lack of teacher recruitment on basic education. The absence of teachers has resulted in inadequate instruction for many students, escalating the risk of increased school dropouts across the country.
According to Asare, the education sector requires a minimum of 15,000 new teachers annually to maintain equilibrium within the system, accounting for factors such as poor distribution and annual attrition rates. Unfortunately, the year 2025 saw no new teacher recruitments, exacerbating an already critical situation.
The repercussions of this teacher deficit are evident, with Asare estimating that there are at least 30,000 classrooms in dire need of qualified educators, a number that could be even higher. This gap in the education system is detrimental to teaching and learning on a nationwide scale.
To address this pressing issue, Asare called for the immediate recruitment of a minimum of 30,000 teachers, specifically targeting basic schools. He stressed the importance of ensuring that these teachers are deployed to the areas where their services are most urgently required.
Furthermore, Asare highlighted a government promise to implement a policy offering allowances to teachers who accept postings in underserved regions. He advocated for the government to honor this commitment and suggested that providing incentives alongside teacher deployments to deprived areas would be a crucial step in rectifying the teacher shortage crisis.
In conclusion, the call for urgent action to recruit and deploy teachers to bridge the existing gap in the education sector is imperative. As stakeholders work towards resolving this issue, the focus must remain on ensuring that every classroom in Ghana has a dedicated teacher to provide students with the quality education they deserve.
