Ghana’s education system is at risk of being crippled by a teacher exodus, according to the national president of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Isaac Owusu.
The GNAT president warned that the country could face a critical shortage of qualified educators if the government fails to address the factors driving teachers abroad.
In an interview on Asaase Radio’s Big Bulletin on Wednesday (3 April), Owusu emphasised the lack of incentives for teachers to remain in Ghana.
“There is no external motivation coming from the employer,” he said.
“If they don’t accept that there are problems and we begin to massage the problems, the teachers will leave.”
Over 10,000 Ghanaian teachers left for teaching positions in the United Kingdom (UK) last year. This trend shows no signs of abating, with reports from the Bono Region indicating that over 200 teachers have already left their posts in the first three months of 2024.
The exodus, according to Owusu, is driven by a multitude of factors, with poor remuneration and working conditions at the forefront.
The GNAT president highlighted issues like inadequate “deprived area allowance” for teachers working in remote regions.
Owusu suggested that a lack of acknowledgement from the government is exacerbating the problem. “We, as key stakeholders, have always put before the employer the realities on the ground,” he said.
“That is why, if you look at the issues we raised that caused us to embark on strike, one of them was deprived area allowance for the teacher,” he added.
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