The Ghana Education Service (GES) has defended its ongoing recruitment of teachers, explaining that the process is based on verified vacancy data collected from schools, districts, and regions across the country.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story, the Head of the Public Relations Unit of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Daniel Fenyi, said the recruitment exercise covers multiple levels of education, including early grade, primary, junior high, and senior high schools.

He noted that the process is guided by data submitted by educational authorities at various levels before recruitment begins.

“All schools, districts and regions were asked to declare vacant positions even before the start of the process. Our recruitment is based on data coming from the school level, district level and regional level,” he said.

According to him, the system ensures that staffing gaps are properly identified and filled where necessary.

The GES spokesperson was responding to concerns raised by education policy stakeholders regarding reported surpluses of teachers in some areas.

He acknowledged that teacher rationalisation remains an important but complex issue within the education sector.

“Teacher rationalisation has equally been a significant issue. There are instances where some areas have surplus teachers while others are in need,” he noted.

Mr. Fenyi explained that redistribution of teachers is often influenced by varying conditions across districts, including school population sizes and staffing needs at different levels.

“In some schools, due to pupil population, you may require more than one teacher or even an assistant teacher at the early grade level,” he said.

He further noted that deployment challenges sometimes arise when teachers are posted to deprived areas, though he clarified that the issue is not simply refusal to accept postings.

The GES maintains that both recruitment and teacher redistribution efforts are ongoing to ensure equitable staffing across the country’s schools.