The government has moved to tackle Ghana’s chronic shortage of teachers in underserved communities by attaching a 20 percent salary top-up and free accommodation to rural postings, Deputy Minister for Education Dr Clement Apaak announced on Monday.
Dr Apaak made the disclosure during a courtesy call by top awardees of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), reaffirming the government’s commitment to bridging inequalities in access to quality education nationwide.
Under the government’s Teacher Dabre Programme, educators posted to hard-to-reach communities will receive the 20 percent salary increment on top of their gross pay, alongside accommodation support designed to ease the burden of relocating to remote areas. The combined financial and housing incentives are intended to make rural postings more attractive while strengthening teaching and learning outcomes at the basic education level.
The policy also includes a commitment to incorporate teacher housing in all newly constructed basic schools, signalling a longer-term structural approach to the rural teacher deficit.
Dr Apaak was candid about the scale of the challenge. He explained that the policy forms part of a broader strategy to prioritise the development of basic education and motivate teachers working in deprived areas, adding that President Mahama’s administration was determined to reward teachers who serve where they are needed most.
The Deputy Minister used the occasion to also warn against student violence, cautioning that any pupils caught engaging in hooliganism would face the full force of the law. “What you have achieved should not be the end but the beginning of great things. Be motivated and stay away from bad companions,” he told the young awardees.
The Ghana Education Service (GES) Director General, Professor Ernest Kofi Davis, announced that the 52 top-performing students would be formally honoured at a dedicated awards ceremony on March 4.
