The graduates of colleges of education for the 2023-year group have announced their intentions to hit the streets in protest over delayed posting despite having met all requirements to be posted.
Speaking for the group, Eshun De-Grafty Brown, vice president of the Concerned Unemployed Teacher Trainees, emphasized that their experience appears to be a deviant case compared to the other year groups who did not have to wait as long as the 2023-year group before getting posted.
“So, I can say that in the previous years, when they are done with their national service or when they are done with their school, they get posted. But as we speak, we, the 2023-year group, are the current batch in the house awaiting postings.”
Eshun De-Grafty Brown, Vice President of the Concerned Unemployed Teacher Trainees
Mr. Brown stated that his year completed their National Service in February 2024, and as has always been the case for some years now, they sat for their licensure exams and performed well, which would have meant that they would get posted in 2024, but he regretted recounting that they have all been home.
He recounted with sorrow how the license obtained from the exams is nearing expiration despite the fact that they have not made use of it.
“Even the license is about to expire; it is very sad we have not been on the field, but our license will be expiring soon.” He stated
He noted that despite their long anticipation for the government’s plans with regard to the timelines for their recruitment, they have since heard nothing from the government.
The group’s representative also stated that their expectations and hopes were raised high when they heard the Minister for Education on the floor of parliament stating that the government needed to recruit teachers this year; however, there has been no communication concerning their recruitment.
“I quite remember on 25th June, the Minister for Education at Parliament made mention that there will be recruitment of 50,000 teachers and 10,000 non-teaching staff, which gave us assurance that if 50,000, then we are the group awaiting posting, so it could be us. And the academic year began in September, but now here lies the case: we are in November, and then school began without teachers being posted.”
Eshun De-Grafty Brown, Vice President of the Concerned Unemployed Teacher Trainees
Mr. Brown added that the first semester is almost nearing its end, and they are yet awaiting the clearance and timelines from the Ghana Education Service (GES), the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Education.
He added that the number of teacher trainees from his year group is roughly about 15,000 teacher trainees from the 46 public colleges of education, which is way below the 50,000 the education minister said the government wants to recruit.
He further recounted the impacts these delayed postings have had on him and his colleagues, emphasizing that they have all been negative.
He emphasized that they were left in uncertainty after the completion of their mandatory national service since they expected that they did get posted just after their service; they were not sure of where to reside given that many will usually not do their service within their communities.
So there was the uncertainty as to whether or not to move back to one’s community, due to the fact that the government had not given them timelines for their recruitment.
“The painful aspect is, if you want to go to private schools to teach or any other employment agencies, they are free to employ us, but all they say is that they don’t know when we will be posted. So, if they employ us, we might leave them in the middle where they will need us.”
Eshun De-Grafty Brown, Vice President of the Concerned Unemployed Teacher Trainees
Mr. Brown emphasized that he and his colleagues have had several engagements with the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Education, and even the Ghana Education Service (GES), but there have since been no timelines for their recruitment.
“We want to know when clearance will be given to us. 13th November will be the day they will be reading their budget for 2026. And so, we won’t sit for that budget to be read without knowing our fate.” He added.
He therefore noted that roughly by 10th November, they are planning to go on the streets to register their displeasure if they do not hear any clear timeline from either the Ghana Education Service (GES), the Ministry of Education, or the Ministry of Finance.
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