Coalition of Unemployed Trained Teachers has raised sharp concerns over the ongoing recruitment exercise by the Ghana Education Service (GES), alleging that the process lacks transparency and calling on the Service to return to the traditional annual batch recruitment system for graduates of the Colleges of Education.
In a statement addressed to GES, the Coalition questioned the figures behind the Service’s announcement of 7,000 teacher recruitment slots, arguing that the numbers on the ground do not match what has been publicly communicated, and appealed for a return to a more predictable and equitable recruitment model.
The Coalition’s statement laid out a numerical argument to support its concerns, noting that Ghana currently has 46 Colleges of Education. According to the group, if the announced 7,000 slots had been distributed evenly, with each college receiving at least 100 slots, that alone would account for 4,600 positions, leaving a remaining 2,400 slots to be shared between university graduates and applicants from the 2022 backlog.
However, the group said this projection does not reflect what it has observed in practice, claiming that not a single college has recorded up to 15 approved applicants so far, a gap it described as raising serious questions about where the bulk of the announced slots have gone.
Coalition Alleges Discrepancy Between Announced and Approved Numbers
Pressing further on the disparity, the Coalition alleged that the actual number of applicants recruited so far falls well short of the figure publicly announced by GES.
According to the group, not even 1,500 applicants have been recruited to date, and it suggested that GES may be holding back the remaining slots to reopen the recruitment portal in November and announce an additional batch of teachers, a move the Coalition said would create the impression that a far larger number of teachers had been recruited within the year than what actually took place.
The Coalition said this pattern, if accurate, would create a misleading impression of the scale of recruitment carried out within the year, and called on GES to clarify the actual number of applicants approved to date under the current exercise.
Questions Over Appointment Letters and Recruitment Timelines
Beyond the numerical discrepancies, the Coalition also raised concerns about delays in issuing appointment letters to applicants who have already been approved, arguing that such delays leave room for approved slots to be reassigned to other candidates over time.
The group questioned why GES appeared to be deviating from the traditional year-batch recruitment process that has historically guided the intake of newly trained teachers into the education service, suggesting that any departure from this established structure only deepens uncertainty among applicants awaiting placement.
A Call for Fairness and a Return to Batch Recruitment
Central to the Coalition’s appeal is a request for GES to reinstate the annual batch recruitment system for graduates of the Colleges of Education, a model the group says has traditionally provided a clearer and more predictable pathway into the teaching profession for each graduating cohort.
“We respectfully call on you to return to the annual batch recruitment system for graduates of the Colleges of Education. This approach ensures fairness, reduces unemployment among trained teachers, and provides a clear and predictable recruitment process for every graduating batch.”
Coalition of Unemployed Trained Teachers
The Coalition argued that departing from this system has contributed to prolonged uncertainty for trained teachers who complete their programmes each year but face unclear timelines for eventual placement within the Service.
Broader Concerns Over Youth Unemployment in Teaching
The Coalition’s appeal comes against the backdrop of longstanding frustration among trained teachers who have completed their professional training but remain without placement, a challenge that has periodically drawn public attention in Ghana’s education sector.
The group’s statement suggests that unclear or inconsistent recruitment processes only compound this problem, leaving qualified graduates in prolonged limbo while positions within the education system remain unfilled or unclear in their allocation.
By tying its concerns directly to specific figures and timelines, the Coalition appears to be pushing for a level of disclosure from GES that would allow applicants and the wider public to verify recruitment outcomes independently, rather than relying solely on official announcements.
GES Yet to Respond to the Allegations
GES had not issued a public response to the specific claims raised by the Coalition of Unemployed Trained Teachers regarding the recruitment figures or the alleged delay in issuing appointment letters. The Service’s most recent communication to the public focused on the release timeline for application status updates, without directly addressing the concerns now being raised by the Coalition.
The Coalition has urged GES to engage directly with affected applicants and to provide clarity on the recruitment process going forward, insisting that transparency and fairness remain essential to restoring confidence among trained teachers awaiting placement across the country.
Until such clarity is provided, the group says many trained teachers will continue to view the recruitment exercise with suspicion, further straining trust between applicants and the institution responsible for their placement.
READ MORE: Expenditure Management Key to Transparency and Accountability in Public Finance
