Addressing Parliament on Thursday, June 18, 2026, the Minister said the government’s ability to recruit teachers has been constrained by limited financial resources and budgetary allocations.

According to him, although the demand for teachers remains high, approval has only been granted for the recruitment of 7,000 teachers.

“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 Parliament.

He explained that recent reforms within the education sector have increased staffing requirements, particularly with the growth of institutions under the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET).

The Minister noted that newly recruited teachers must be distributed across both mainstream schools and technical and vocational institutions, placing additional pressure on the available workforce.

“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 Training 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 explained.

Mr. Iddrisu’s remarks come amid concerns from education stakeholders and trained teachers regarding the government’s recent recruitment exercise, which created only 7,000 teaching positions despite the large number of qualified teachers seeking employment.

He emphasized that recruitment decisions are largely determined by the country’s fiscal capacity, stressing the need to balance educational staffing requirements with available financial resources.

The Minister reiterated the government’s commitment to strengthening the education sector but acknowledged that addressing the teacher shortage will require increased budgetary support and sustained investment in human resources.

The disclosure highlights the scale of staffing challenges facing Ghana’s education system and underscores the need for long-term strategies to ensure adequate teacher availability in schools nationwide.