Former Director General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Dr. Eric Nkansah, has responded forcefully to recent allegations made by the current Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, regarding teacher recruitment in 2024.
In a Facebook post dated May 7, 2025, Dr. Nkansah addressed the circulating claims that 39,000 appointment letters were issued without prior financial clearance from the Ministry of Finance.
He called the accusation baseless and offered a detailed breakdown of the official recruitment figures and corresponding authorizations.
According to Dr. Nkansah, the Ministry of Finance granted financial clearance on May 10, 2024, for the recruitment of 16,500 graduate teachers from Ghana’s Colleges of Education.
That clearance was later expanded in July 2024, with an additional 2,000 slots approved to accommodate more graduate educators. By October 2024, a portion of that expanded clearance was amended, permitting the GES to use part of it to recruit diploma-holding teachers instead.
Breaking down the numbers, he explained that out of the 16,500 slots meant for graduates, a total of 16,333 were utilized—comprising recruits from both Colleges of Education and limited university graduates, as well as those covering spillovers from the previous year.
The clearance for diploma holders was partially used, with 1,387 out of 2,000 slots filled, leaving a total of 780 unutilized positions across both categories.
In total, 17,720 teachers were recruited in 2024, all within the limits of the official financial clearances received. Dr. Nkansah stressed that every single appointment was supported by proper documentation and approval from the Ministry of Finance, effectively debunking the claim that tens of thousands were hired unlawfully.
His rebuttal has stirred renewed attention on the accuracy of political statements and sparked broader conversations about accountability and transparency in public sector recruitment.
