Newly trained teachers to be posted to deprived areas- GES

Tamale, Sept. 11, GNA - The Ghana Education Service (GES) has, with effect from this academic year, instructed regional and district directors of education to post all newly trained teachers to the rural and deprived communities to ensure equitable distribution of teachers. The directors of education have also been asked to strictly comply with the directive to ensure the effective realization of the objective of giving every Ghanaian child equitable and quality education. Mr. Samuel Manteyaw, Director of Human Resource of the GES, said this in Tamale on Friday at two-day capacity development workshop for 140 staff and directors of the GES in the Northern Region. The workshop is aimed at boosting the capacity of the directors to effectively handle the human resource management in their institutions. Mr. Manteyaw said the rural areas had been denied of adequate teachers for a long time and this had resulted in poor academic performance in those areas.

He said about 9,000 newly trained teachers had completed training colleges this year and all of them are expected to be posted to the deprived areas.

"The cities have received enough teachers than necessary and almost all teachers prefer to remain in the cities hampering rural education". Mr. Manteyaw explained that teachers posted to the rural and deprived areas could have access to study leave or transfer after three years of service but five years to those in the cities. He cautioned that teachers on distance learning and sandwich programmes must ensure that their timing for studies and examinations must not interfere with the periods in which they are supposed to be in the classroom. Mr. Manteyaw said teachers who refused postings or leave the service for more than three months and resurface for postings should be treated as having vacated post and as such sanctions must be applied against such teachers. 11 Sept 09