New teacher posting module: Eduwatch calls for transparency
Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch), a civil society platform, has welcomed the self-placement module for the posting of newly recruited teachers for public basic schools in the country.
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The module allows qualified teachers to select their preferred schools from a list of only schools with declared and validated vacancies.
Eduwatch says it was its firm conviction that once the system was transparent and allowed to function effectively as intended that the country’s teacher posting inequities would be significantly addressed.
Support
“Eduwatch and partners will support the GES to make this system work by monitoring closely from schools in Tatale Sanguli, Nanumba North, North East Gonja, Tolon, Yendi, Biakoye, Brekum West, Garu, Nadowli Kaleo, Bunkpurugu, Nakpanduri, Sene West and in Central Gonja where teacher deficit is highest at the kindergarten (86%) and primary school (73%) levels,” it said.
Responding to the policy announced by the GES last week, the Executive Director of Eduwatch, Kofi Asare, said it was the organisation’s expectation that its monitoring and feedback would help strengthen system effectiveness.
“We call for a transparent and accountable management of the new system, and an enhanced collaboration between the GES, civil society organisations, teacher unions, school management committees, parents, Members of Parliament and local governments to ensure the system works effectively in ensuring every child in Ghana has access to a teacher,” he said.
When allowed to effectively function, he said the system should ensure that teachers would select schools of their choice, posted to only schools where their services were needed and would not be able to change their postings.
Areas
It would also ensure that teachers select schools located in local-language-friendly areas. “In June 2024, Eduwatch met with the GES Director-General to discuss teacher deficits in selected deprived districts, 90% of which were in the Savannah, North East and Northern Region, and strategies for ensuring equitable posting in 2024 and beyond.”
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“Eduwatch has for years been advocating a demand-driven and decentralised teacher posting system as a sustainable way of ending the inequitable deployment of teachers,” he said.
Mr Asare said the system had proven ineffective by creating teacher surplus in some urban and peri-urban schools, and huge deficits in many rural schools. That, it said, had been occasioned by human interferences in teacher postings overtime.
n 2022, it said Eduwatch and the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD)-Ghana’s Review of the Education Sector Medium-Term Plan (2018-2021) identified over 5,000 primary school classrooms without teachers, at a time Ghana statistically has more teachers than needed.
The new posting system is aimed at streamlining the recruitment process for the first batch of 2022 degree holders from Public Colleges of Education. The new module that will allow the graduates to select their preferred region, district and school for their posting via the GES portal (www.gespromotions.gov.gh). It began operating on July 5 and would end on July 31, 2024.
On May 11, 2024, the GES invited applications from qualified trained teachers who graduated with a first degree from public colleges of education. It received a total of 21,010 applications, out of which 12,784 were deemed qualified.
The Director General of the GES, Dr Eric Nkansah, told the press that the self-posting module was designed to ensure that newly trained teachers were posted to regions where they could communicate effectively in the local language, thereby enhancing the teaching and learning environment.
He further said the system would allow teachers to choose schools close to their families, providing economic and social support.
To access their appointment letters on the platform, he urged qualified applicants to visit the GES portal. Furthermore, he said, applicants must enter their College Index Number for qualification verification.