Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, a leading education policy research and advocacy organisation, Kofi Asare has lamented teacher shortages in rural areas of the country, asserting that such shortages deepen learning poverty and deny many their right to education.
Mr Asare revealed that research has shown that 68% of teacher shortages occur in rural areas, with places like Chereponi, Bunkpurugu, Nakpanduri, Central Gonja, and Tatale Sanguli being the hardest hit.
In Chereponi, for instance, he revealed that at the Jilma Primary School, only one teacher is in charge of the whole school.
“In 2023, 62 per cent of public primary school pupils could not read, especially in rural areas. This is the face of learning poverty in Ghana. Since 2021, the government and donors have spent over 400 million dollars on teacher training, supervision and learning materials to improve foundational learning.
Yet results remain poor because one fundamental problem persists – the absence of teachers in many rural schools. A new report by School for Life and partners shows that 68 per cent of teacher shortages are in rural areas.
At Jilma Primary in Chereponi, only one teacher manages the entire school. In Bunkpurugu Nakpanduri, Central Gonja and Tatale Sanguli, teacher deficits average 70 per cent at the kindergarten and primary levels,” Mr Asare noted in a social media post.
Mr Asare urged the Government to employ teachers to address the situation, given that Ghana has adequately trained teachers to address teacher shortages.
“Ghana is the only country in West Africa that does not lack qualified teachers.We have more than enough and even export some.
Yet about 70k trained education staff remain at home because the Minister for Finance has delayed clearance for recruitment,” he noted.
