Registrar of National Teaching Council worried over exodus of experienced teachers to the UK
The Registrar of the National Teaching Council, Dr. Christian Addai-Poku has expressed worry over the significant exodus of experienced teachers from Ghana to the United Kingdom.
This trend, which has gained momentum in recent months, has sparked worries about its potential impact on the education sector in the country.
As of the beginning of October this year, reports revealed that about 16,000 teachers had submitted applications to the UK’s Department of Education seeking employment opportunities.
By June 13, 2023, a staggering 10,000 of these applicants, all holding valid Ghana Teacher Licenses, were granted certification to work in the UK without any further assessment (qualified teacher status test) by the UK government.
Dr. Addai-Poku expressed his apprehension about this ongoing mass migration, emphasizing the need for the government to address the underlying issues pushing teachers to seek opportunities abroad.
He stated, “On average, we’re producing around 30,000 licensed teachers through our licensure examinations every year. However, not all of them find employment within the Ghana Education Service. There is still a pool of qualified teachers here who could potentially replace those who choose to leave”.
“But the challenge is if they are leaving, sometimes you get experienced teachers leaving and you need to bring people to train them to the level that these people might have been. But all in all, there’s no teacher shortage in Ghana as of now…the looming danger is the experienced teachers who are leaving and that is our worry, that experienced teachers are leaving,” he said in a Joy News interview monitored by The Ghana Report.
The registrar stressed that if this trend continues, the government will be required to allocate more resources and time to train new teachers to fill the void left by those departing for overseas positions.
He added, “If experienced teachers continue to leave, and the nation invests significantly in training new educators without reaping the benefits of their experience, it poses a substantial challenge”.
President Akufo-Addo addressed these concerns during the 2023 Ghana Teacher Prize ceremony on October 5, promising continued efforts to enhance conditions and create a conducive environment for teachers to excel in the country.