The Executive Director of Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch), Kofi Asare, has warned that Ghana is facing a serious teacher shortage, with an estimated 30,000 classrooms currently operating without teachers.

He attributed the situation to the government’s failure to recruit new teachers in 2025.

Speaking on Channel One TV on Tuesday, January 13, during an assessment of the one-year performance of President John Dramani Mahama, Mr Asare said the absence of recruitment has had a damaging effect on basic education across the country.

He noted that many pupils are being left without adequate instruction, increasing the risk of poor learning outcomes and school dropouts.

According to him, the education sector requires the recruitment of at least 15,000 teachers annually to maintain stability, taking into account uneven distribution and natural attrition within the system.

However, he pointed out that no new teachers were employed in 2025, further deepening existing challenges.

“As a result, we now have not less than 30,000 classrooms without teachers, and the number could be higher,” Mr Asare said, warning that the shortage is undermining effective teaching and learning nationwide.

He called on the government to urgently recruit at least 30,000 teachers, with a focus on basic schools, and to ensure that postings are directed to areas of greatest need.

Mr Asare also urged the authorities to fulfil earlier promises to provide allowances for teachers who accept postings to deprived communities, stressing that such incentives must accompany any meaningful deployment strategy.