The Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has disclosed that Ghana’s education sector is grappling with a significant shortage of teachers, estimating that the country currently requires between 50,000 and 90,000 additional teachers to adequately meet the demands of schools across the country.
According to the minister, despite the pressing need for more educators, financial limitations and budgetary restrictions have made it difficult for the government to recruit the number of teachers required to bridge the gap.
Haruna Iddrisu made the disclosure while addressing Parliament on Thursday, June 18, during discussions on issues relating to teacher recruitment and staffing within the education sector.
Explaining the government’s position, the education minister noted that recent reforms within the education sector have expanded the scope of teacher deployment, requiring the government to distribute available recruits across various educational institutions and agencies.
He stated that the establishment and strengthening of institutions such as the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET) and the Ghana Education Service (GES) have created additional staffing demands that must be addressed within the limits of available resources.
“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.
“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.”
The minister’s remarks provide insight into the government’s recent decision to recruit only 7,000 teachers, a move that generated considerable debate among education stakeholders and unemployed graduates.
Many trained teachers had expressed disappointment with the limited recruitment exercise, arguing that the number of available positions falls far short of addressing the growing backlog of unemployed education graduates across the country.
Haruna Iddrisu, also revealed that 312,448 first-year tertiary students have benefited from the government’s ‘No Fees Stress’ policy at a total cost of over GHC888 million.
He said the 2024/2025 academic year recorded 152,000 beneficiaries for GHC399 million, while 159,000 students have benefited so far in the 2025/2026 academic year for GHC489 million. The policy was launched successfully in July 2025 and is currently active and operational nationwide.
According to the Minister, the intervention aims to reduce the financial burden on tertiary students and improve access to higher education.
He said the policy is a major transformational social intervention initiative of President John Dramani Mahama to promote and improve access to tertiary education in Ghana by alleviating the financial burden of students and their families through targeted financial support.
“The No Fees Stress policy for the 2024-25 academic year, 152,698 validated first-year students benefited at the cost of GHC399,374,727. For the 2025 academic year, 159,750 students have benefited so far at a cost of GHC489,456,427.
“To date, 312,448 students have been assisted under the ‘No Fees Stress’ at a total cost of GHC888,831,000. This is what we have done to support young people’s desires to access tertiary education. Our policy remains access, relevance and quality,” he said.
The Minister also disclosed that 610 students of the Ghana School of Law have received support through the Students’ Loan Trust Fund.
“I’m happy to announce that under this government, we are demystifying legal education. Therefore, students pursuing law and professional law can now apply for their student loans,” he said.
For pre-tertiary education for persons with disabilities, 2025-2026 academic year, the minister said 1,530 persons with disability received full fee and residential coverage at a total amount of GHC9,837,000.
The Minister for Education added that there are no outstanding financial obligations under the No Fees Stress policy.
Responding to questions in Parliament, the education minister stated that the Finance Minister, Dr Ato Forson, has released adequate funds to support the implementation of the programme
