The Ghana Education Service (GES) in the Atwima Mponua District of the Ashanti Region has expressed concern over the shortage of teachers in some basic schools in the district.
According to the District Public Relations Officer, Eric Aboagye, 34 basic schools in the district currently have three teachers or fewer, including the headteacher.
He described the situation as “very worrisome” because the small number of teachers is putting a lot of pressure on both the schools and the teachers.
The teacher shortage is part of a bigger staffing problem facing the district. The district currently needs 632 more teachers to properly fill the available classrooms.
“As I’m speaking now, the directorate needs 632 teachers to fill various classrooms in the district. As at now, 34 basic schools have a maximum of three teachers, including the headteacher, and it’s very worrisome,” he said.
Aboagye said the problem is made worse by the number of teachers who leave the district after serving in deprived communities.
He explained that over the past six years, at least 150 teachers have left the district every year. Many of these teachers leave after becoming eligible to apply for transfers following about three years of service in deprived areas.
“For the past six years, I think a minimum of 150 teachers leave every year, and it’s just that the district is so big and it has so many deprived areas,” he added.
According to Aboagye, the district has very little power to stop teachers from leaving once they have completed the required period in deprived communities and qualify for a transfer.
“So when a person accepts a transfer to the deprived area for about three years, he qualifies for release. So after the three years, he or she will apply, and you have no other thing to do than to release the person,” he said.
The GES says finding a solution to the teacher shortage is now a major priority for the Atwima Mponua District. The situation is especially serious in schools located in deprived communities, where the shortage of teachers is most severe.
Aboagye made the comments during a ceremony held to celebrate Bridgette Evelyn Prempeh, the Headmistress of Mpasatia D/A Basic School. She was being honoured after coming second in Channel One TV’s 2025/2026 Community Legend initiative.
