Rejoinder: Education Directors given approval to recruit more teachers

The attention of the Management of the Ghana Education Service (GES) has been drawn to a publication by citifmonline.com on Monday, January 25, 2016 and which was replicated by other online news portals under the caption, “Education directors given approval to recruit more teachers”. Management wishes to clarify a few issues in the publication and to set the records straight.

The content of the publication, which was credited to the Northern Regional Director of Education, Alhaji Mohammed Haroon Cambodia, stated in its lead paragraph, “The Ministry of Education has given the Ghana Education Service the approval to advertise vacancies for teachers for all second-cycle institutions as well as basic schools across the country”. This statement, attributed to Mr. Haroon, could not, in anyway, have suggested that, “Education directors given approval to recruit more teachers”.

Management has no qualm to have heard the education director as having said, “Right now, all directors, all heads of senior high schools have been asked to declare vacancies in various subject areas and even in basic schools so that we can see the vacancies that exist at all the levels and in the various schedules. We have also declared vacancies for cookies, watchmen and non-teaching staff”. We would like to state that declaring vacancies is just an aspect of the process of recruitment and the recruitment itself is another aspect. In this regard, it would be misleading to suggest that the said statement of the Director implies that education directors have been given approval to recruit teachers.

The fact is that the GES is in the process of having some vacancies in our schools filled as Mr. Haroon was reported to have said, “We are collating the vacancies that are available by second week of February to the end of February for onward submission to the Ministry of Education so that the Ministry can get clearance from the Ministry of Finance in order to give quota for the recruitment of teachers”.

It is, however, gratifying to note that though there are some vacancies to be filled in the GES, Management has put pragmatic and efficient measures in place to promote quality delivery of services. We appeal to stakeholders and the general public to remain calm and supportive as Management tackles whatever issues of recruitment that confront the Service.

SGD: REV. JONATHAN BETTEY
DIRECTOR, PUBLIC RELATIONS