The government has announced plans to introduce a 20 per cent rural posting allowance for teachers serving in rural and deprived communities as part of measures to improve teacher welfare and address staffing challenges in underserved areas.
Responding to questions in Parliament on Thursday, July 2, the Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, said the incentive is intended to attract, motivate and retain teachers in hard-to-reach communities while compensating them for the difficult conditions under which they work.
He said teacher welfare remains a national priority aimed at strengthening motivation, preserving the dignity of teachers and improving long-term educational outcomes.
“Government is committed to roll out a 20 per cent rural posting allowance for teachers serving in rural and deprived areas, and the Ministry of Finance, the Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Education are working on implementing that,” Mr. Iddrisu said.
The Minister also announced that the qualifying period for study leave with pay for teachers serving in rural and deprived communities has been reduced from three years to two years.
According to him, teachers who voluntarily accept postings to deprived communities will now be eligible to apply for study leave with pay after completing two years of service.
“Originally it was three years if you are in a deprived area. We have reduced it now to two years, so any person self-posting to a rural deprived area, after two years of service, can apply for study leave with pay,” he stated.
Mr. Iddrisu said the government is also working to address accommodation challenges faced by teachers in rural communities through the implementation of President John Dramani Mahama’s proposed Teacher Dabre Initiative.
He explained that the initiative, which was outlined in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) manifesto, seeks to provide accommodation for teachers in rural areas to improve deployment and retention.
“We are currently engaging in discussions to deploy the Teacher Dabre Initiative of President Mahama, which will provide accommodation for teachers in rural areas to address the housing challenges that often affect teacher deployment and retention in those areas,” he said.
The Minister added that the government has directed that all newly awarded contracts for school infrastructure must include accommodation for teachers.
He further noted that the government will continue investing in the continuous professional development and capacity building of teachers across the country.
