Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has questioned the continued use of paper forms to process the details of promoted teachers, calling for an electronic system to make the process more efficient.

Mr Iddrisu raised the concern during a visit to Ghana Education Service (GES) staff working to compile and process data on promoted teachers for submission to the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD).

The exercise forms part of efforts to complete the processing of teachers’ promotion details, a key step towards addressing concerns linked to the ongoing nationwide teachers’ strike.

Mr Iddrisu said the process should be modernised and supported by an information technology system rather than relying on teachers and officials to handle large volumes of paperwork.

“We must find a way of doing this better than we are doing. Why are we doing that? Why should teachers at this age be filling forms?” he asked.

He said the use of technology would provide a more efficient way of handling the information and reduce the burden associated with the current process.

“The only way we can do so is using an IT infrastructure system,” the Minister said.

He added that he would raise the issue with the relevant authorities and push for a better system to be adopted in future.

“I’ll raise questions about this and I think that we must find a better way of doing it than this manner,” he said.

The Minister also expressed concern about the volume of paper and other materials being handled by officials working on the exercise.

“But how can we carry all this material? How can we carry all this?” he asked.

“We cannot be filling forms by this age,” he added.

Mr Iddrisu’s comments came as GES staff worked to meet a 4 p.m. Monday deadline to process the details of promoted teachers for submission to CAGD.

The submission is an important step towards having the affected teachers’ promotion details captured and processed.

The exercise has taken on added significance amid the ongoing teachers’ strike, with the government working to address issues at the centre of the industrial action.