Education Minister Mr. Haruna Iddrisu has announced that the government will recruit 50,000 new teachers this year, as outlined in the 2025 Budget Statement. He said the recruitment process will begin after the presentation of the mid-year budget in July.
The Minister made the disclosure on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday while responding to urgent questions posed by lawmakers, including concerns over unpaid teachers and the challenges associated with the 2024 recruitment process.
He explained that out of those recruited in 2024, about 5,643 teachers had not received their salaries due to delays in completing validation processes. He said the Ghana Education Service (GES) had to verify their Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) identification numbers as part of a broader effort to eliminate ghost names from the payroll system and confirm their retirement eligibility.
According to him, those validations have since been concluded and financial clearance is now awaited from the Ministry of Finance to facilitate payment.
Mr. Iddrisu also addressed reports that some teachers had gone unpaid for over two years, stating that these individuals were victims of a recruitment scam and had no official appointment records with the Ministry.
He further refuted a claim made by Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin that a teacher had died during a recent protest by unpaid educators at the Ministry of Education. Describing the allegation as false and malicious, the Minister challenged the Minority Leader to produce evidence to support the claim.
