The Ghana Education Service (GES) has rescinded its earlier decision to revoke the appointments and recruitment of personnel hired after the December 7, 2024, general elections, directing all affected staff to undergo a validation exercise for reinstatement.
This decision marks a significant shift following widespread concerns over the legality and fairness of the mass termination.
“In reference to our earlier letter dated 17th February 2025 with Reference No. GES/HMRD/SEC/REV.25/01 on the above theme, the Management of Ghana Education Service (GES) request all affected staff to have their recruitment validated and reinstated in order to clean up the database of all recruited staff on the GES payroll.”
Professor Ernest Kofi Davis, Acting Director-General, Ghana Education Service
The validation process, which is expected to be completed by March 14, 2025, will be overseen by a three-member committee composed of the Regional Human Resource Officer, Regional Internal Auditor, and Regional Accountant.
The latest directive follows an earlier letter from GES dated February 17, 2025, with Reference No. GES/HMRD/SEC/REV.25/01, which had instructed the revocation of appointments of staff recruited within the post-election period.
The initial decision was reportedly in response to a directive from the Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, who had ordered all government agencies to suspend recruitment during the transition period.
This directive led to the mass termination of employment for several individuals who had been hired before the new government assumed office.
The move sparked widespread public outcry, particularly from the opposition New Patriotic Party who supervised the recruitment of the affected individuals while in government.
They argued that the mass termination of appointments violated constitutional protections for public sector employees, leading to a broader legal and political debate on the matter.
NPP’s Henry Nana Boakye Reacts
Reacting to the development, Henry Nana Boakye, the National Organizer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), welcomed GES’s decision to validate and reinstate the affected employees.
In a statement, he described the reversal as a victory for due process and the constitutional rights of public servants.
“The Ghana Education Service has overturned its decision to unlawfully dismiss the employment of young individuals who were legally hired by the previous government.
“The decision is laudable as it adheres to the constitutional tenets of protecting public servants and avoiding capricious termination of appointments, as we have seen”.
Henry Nana Boakye, the National Organizer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP)
Nana Boakye further called on other government agencies that had implemented similar terminations to take a cue from the GES and reinstate all affected persons.
He maintained that the directive issued by the Chief of Staff was unconstitutional and reaffirmed his stance that the President’s actions lacked legal merit.
Prior to the GES’s reversal, Henry Nana Boakye, along with Member of Parliament Old Tafo Hon. Ekow Vincent Assafuah, had taken legal action against the government’s directive.
The duo filed a writ at the Supreme Court challenging the Chief of Staff’s order and the subsequent termination of appointments by various state agencies.
The case, which is still before the Supreme Court, seeks to determine whether the government’s directive constituted an abuse of executive power and a violation of the rights of public sector employees.
The plaintiffs argue that public servants should not be subjected to politically motivated dismissals simply because they were employed during a transition period.
The reversal of the terminations by GES signals a shift in the government’s approach to handling post-election recruitment controversies.
The decision has been largely welcomed by education sector stakeholders, including teachers’ unions and civil society organizations advocating for job security in the public sector.
For the affected staff, the validation process presents an opportunity to regain their employment, though it remains unclear whether all individuals will meet the necessary requirements for reinstatement.
The success of the exercise will depend on the efficiency and fairness of the three-member validation committees set up in each region.
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