Haruna Iddrisu vows to hike teacher recruitment numbers

Haruna Iddrisu vowed to hike teacher recruitment numbers, signalling a potential increase in the 7,000 slots currently available for the 2026 academic year. The minister pledged a government-led review of the recently announced teacher recruitment quotas. Mr. Iddrisu stated emphatically, "The 7,000 is not enough, particularly where health workers had 15,000 and others. There are more schools than hospitals, so government will work and up the numbers."

The minister's intervention follows discontent from the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and sister unions, who have labelled the initial allocation as a "drop in the ocean". Critics argue that the figure fails to absorb the backlog of over 10,000 trained graduates currently languishing on waitlists. Speaking on the sidelines of the May Day celebrations in Kumasi on Friday, 1st May 2026, Mr. Iddrisu conceded that the education sector's recruitment numbers were disproportionately low when compared to other wings of the civil service. He pointed to the 15,000 recruitment slots granted to the health sector as a benchmark.

Mr. Iddrisu assured the teacher unions that the government is not deaf to their grievances. He indicated that high-level consultations are already underway to adjust the figures to better reflect "national needs" and the actual number of graduates ready for posting. The ministry's commitment to up the numbers is expected to bring relief to thousands of graduates who have been advocating for their inclusion in the national payroll.