1 in 5 districts face severe teacher shortages despite near-universal school enrolment - Report

Government launched a new report revealing significant inequalities in the deployment of teachers across public basic schools, warning that staffing gaps are undermining learning outcomes despite the country's near-universal school enrolment. The Teachers for All (T4A) Ghana Report, launched by the Ministry of Education with support from UNICEF, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and other partners, provides fresh evidence on teacher distribution and proposes reforms to improve nationwide deployment. Ghana has made substantial progress in expanding access to education, with gross enrolment rates reaching 99.6% at the primary level and 98.4% at the junior high school level during the 2022/23 academic year.

Results from the 2024 National Standardised Test showed that 45.27% of learners performed below the basic proficiency level in Mathematics, while 50.33% fell below basic proficiency in English. The report identifies unequal teacher deployment as a key factor affecting classroom learning. About 20% of districts are experiencing severe teacher shortages, with average primary school pupil-teacher ratios exceeding the Ministry of Education's target of 35 pupils to one teacher. The shortages are most acute in rural communities, where schools also struggle to attract and retain female teachers. The report highlights particularly high pupil-teacher ratios in the northern parts of the country, including North-East Region (48:1), Savannah Region (41:1), and Northern Region (39:1).