The Coalition of Unemployed Trained Teachers (CUTT 2023) has expressed deep dissatisfaction with the Ghana Education Service's (GES) recent teacher recruitment exercise, accusing the education authority of conducting the process without sufficient transparency and failing to provide reasons for rejecting thousands of qualified applicants.

In a press release issued on Monday, July 27, the coalition said the manner in which the recruitment exercise was conducted has left many trained teachers frustrated and seeking answers after being informed that their applications were unsuccessful despite meeting all the advertised requirements.

According to CUTT, many applicants possessed valid National Teaching Council (NTC) licences, had successfully completed their mandatory national service and submitted all the required documentation, yet were simply notified that they had been unsuccessful without any explanation.

The coalition described the situation as unacceptable, arguing that applicants who had invested years in their education and professional preparation deserved to know why they had not been selected.

"The lack of transparency is unacceptable," the statement said, adding that a recruitment process involving thousands of graduates "must not be shrouded in secrecy".

CUTT maintained that merely displaying an "unsuccessful" status on applicants' recruitment portals without providing any justification was disrespectful to the sacrifices, time and financial resources invested by trained teachers in meeting the recruitment requirements.

To restore confidence in the recruitment process, the coalition called on GES to immediately publish the criteria used in selecting successful applicants.

It also demanded that the service provide detailed reasons why qualified applicants were unsuccessful, insisting that transparency is essential in ensuring fairness and accountability in public sector recruitment.

According to the coalition, making the selection criteria public would help dispel growing concerns among unsuccessful applicants and assure the public that the recruitment exercise was conducted on merit.

The statement also raised concerns over information the coalition claimed to have received from individuals within GES.

CUTT alleged that if GES fails to respond to its communiqué, it would conclude that claims from internal sources suggesting that only shortlisted applicants' results would initially be released without appointment letters were accurate.

According to the coalition, the alleged arrangement would enable successful applicants to believe they had secured employment while they completed what it described as "protocol payment".

The coalition did not provide evidence to substantiate the allegation, and GES has not publicly responded to the claims.

Beyond seeking explanations for unsuccessful applications, CUTT urged GES to establish an independent review mechanism through which applicants who believe mistakes were made during the recruitment process could appeal or seek clarification.

It argued that such a system would improve confidence in future recruitment exercises and ensure that genuine errors, if any, could be corrected fairly.

The coalition also called on GES to commit to conducting future recruitment exercises in a more transparent and accountable manner.

The statement further questioned whether the latest recruitment exercise reflected the government's pledge to provide automatic postings for trained teachers.

Addressing the current administration, the coalition asked whether the recruitment represented the automatic postings that had been promised.

It argued that if the government is unable to recruit all qualified trained teachers at once, it should consider reverting to the previous system under which teachers were recruited in batches.

According to CUTT, restricting recruitment while thousands of qualified teachers remain unemployed places unnecessary pressure on Ghana's education system and leaves many trained professionals without opportunities to contribute to the sector.

The coalition warned that the absence of official communication and explanations surrounding the recruitment exercise risks undermining public trust in state institutions.

It said the continued silence over the concerns raised by unsuccessful applicants only fuels suspicion and erodes confidence in the fairness of public sector recruitment.

CUTT urged government and GES to respond promptly to the concerns of affected applicants, cautioning that public confidence is built on transparency and accountability.

"They should remember that power is like ice; it starts melting from the day it is handed to you," the coalition stated.