The Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has announced that the government will embark on another recruitment exercise to employ 8,000 teachers, with the recruitment portal expected to open in the coming weeks.
According to the minister, the recruitment process will take place before the end of 2026, while successful applicants are scheduled to begin work in April 2027.
Mr. Iddrisu made the announcement during an interview on Channel One TV on Monday, July 27, 2026, where he responded to concerns raised over the recent recruitment of 7,000 teachers by the Ghana Education Service (GES).
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Minister Responds to Criticism
The Education Minister acknowledged the widespread criticism that followed the recently concluded recruitment exercise, particularly from unemployed trained teachers who had hoped for a larger number of appointments.
He explained that although the government had proposed recruiting significantly more teachers, financial constraints meant approval was granted for only 7,000 positions.
“I understand the concerns that have been expressed over the past 24 hours. Once the recruitment reached 7,000, there was little more I could do,” he said.
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Government Plans Another Recruitment Exercise
To help reduce the backlog of unemployed trained teachers, Mr. Iddrisu disclosed that the government will soon advertise another recruitment drive for 8,000 teachers.
He said the recruitment portal will be reopened before the end of the year, with successful applicants expected to take up their appointments in April 2027.
“We will conduct another recruitment of 8,000 teachers. Although those recruited will begin work around April 2027, the advertisement will be published and the recruitment process will commence before the end of this year,” he stated.
Budget Constraints Limited Recruitment
The Minister revealed that he had initially sought approval to recruit a much larger number of teachers in 2026.
However, he noted that the government approved only 7,000 vacancies, making it impossible to recruit all qualified applicants in a single exercise.
Mr. Iddrisu admitted that the limited intake had disappointed many unemployed trained teachers, with some questioning whether the government was fulfilling its pledge to employ trained graduates.
He maintained that he had advocated for a significantly higher recruitment target but was constrained by the number of positions approved.
Background
The Ghana Education Service recently released the recruitment results for the 2026 teacher recruitment exercise, with approximately 7,000 applicants being shortlisted for appointment.
The exercise attracted tens of thousands of applications nationwide, leaving many qualified candidates unsuccessful and prompting teacher unions and graduate associations to call for greater transparency and accountability in the recruitment process.