Thousands of trained teachers across Ghana are still waiting for updates on the 2026 Ghana Education Service (GES) recruitment exercise after the application portal was closed earlier this year.
The recruitment portal, which was officially opened on April 10, 2026, attracted huge interest from applicants nationwide, highlighting the increasing demand for jobs within the education sector.
Reports indicate that nearly 40,000 applications were submitted within the first 20 hours after the portal became active.
Due to the overwhelming response, the portal was reportedly shut down on April 11, 2026, after reaching its required application capacity.
Despite the high number of applicants, only 7,000 qualified teachers are expected to be employed under the current recruitment exercise.
Sources familiar with the process say priority consideration will be given to persons with disabilities and applicants willing to accept postings to deprived and rural communities across the country.
The initiative is part of efforts aimed at improving teacher distribution and promoting inclusiveness within Ghana’s education sector.
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu recently directed the Ghana Education Service to allocate portions of future recruitment opportunities to persons with disabilities.
Teacher unions and education stakeholders have criticised the limited recruitment slots, insisting that the figure is too low considering the growing number of trained but unemployed teachers nationwide.
The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the Teacher Trainees’ Association of Ghana (TTAG), and other educational groups have appealed to the government to increase the recruitment numbers.
According to the unions, thousands of qualified graduates from colleges of education and universities have remained unemployed for several years.
GNAT has particularly urged the Ghana Education Service to prioritise applicants who completed their training earlier and have spent years without employment.
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has reportedly acknowledged concerns over the limited intake and hinted that discussions would be held with Cabinet on the possibility of increasing the recruitment numbers.
However, the government is yet to officially announce whether the current quota of 7,000 teachers will be expanded.
More than three weeks have passed since applications were submitted to the Ghana Education Service.
Although rumours suggest the recruitment list could be released this month, GES has not issued any official confirmation.
What has been confirmed is that the recruitment results are expected to be released before July 2026.
This means shortlisted applicants may receive updates either later this month or in the coming month.
The ongoing recruitment exercise has once again sparked concerns over rising unemployment among trained teachers in Ghana.
Many stakeholders believe that recruiting only 7,000 teachers out of an estimated 90,000 qualified unemployed teachers raises serious concerns about the future of teacher employment and the sustainability of the previous automatic posting system.
Education analysts argue that if government does not increase the current recruitment figures, another recruitment exercise may be required later this year to help reduce the growing backlog of unemployed teachers across the country.