Ghana faces 90,000 teacher shortage due to financial constraints
via GhanaWeb5 min read
Ghana's Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, announced that the country's education sector requires between 50,000 and 90,000 additional teachers to meet nationwide demand. Speaking in Parliament on Thursday, June 18, 2026, the Minister attributed the inability to recruit the necessary number of educators to financial constraints and limited budget approvals. Despite the high demand, the government received clearance to recruit only 7,000 teachers this year. Mr. Iddrisu explained that recent reforms in the education sector, including the establishment of the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training CTVET alongside the Ghana Education Service GES, have increased staffing needs, making it more challenging to address the shortages within existing budgetary limits. This limited recruitment has raised concerns among education stakeholders and unemployed trained teachers.
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Three people have died and nine others sustained gunshot injuries following an attack on Odomi, a community in the Nkwanta South Municipality of the Oti Region. The incident occurred on the evening of June 18, 2026, when unknown assailants reportedly stormed the community, linked to the protracted conflict in the area. The injured victims were taken to Nkwanta St Joseph Catholic Hospital for treatment. Hospital authorities reported that one victim died during treatment, while two others were brought in deceased after being attacked on their farms. Security agencies, supported by military personnel, have increased patrols to restore calm. This attack happened shortly after the Oti Regional House of Chiefs announced a seven-member committee to address the conflict, which is yet to be inaugurated.
Samreboi and its surrounding communities in the Amenfi West Municipality of Ghana's Western Region have been severely impacted by a devastating flood following heavy rainfall. Over 180 houses in Aboi, Cocoase, and Palazzo are inundated, displacing thousands of residents and claiming at least one life. Families have lost belongings, and schools and churches are serving as temporary shelters for victims, including children, the elderly, and nursing mothers. Residents attribute the catastrophe to illegal mining activities, locally known as galamsey, which they claim have degraded the environment and altered natural waterways, increasing flood susceptibility. Priscilla Yorke, the Municipal Chief Executive for Amenfi West, along with officials from the National Disaster Management Organisation NADMO, assessed the damage and assured victims of forthcoming relief assistance. The community is calling for urgent government and stakeholder intervention to address the environmental destruction contributing to recurring disasters.
Must ReadBernard Antwi-Boasiako, also known as Chairman Wontumi, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party NPP, has requested a plea bargain in his ongoing criminal trial related to the Exim Bank fraud case. The court has granted this request, giving the state and Wontumi until July 18, 2026, to reach an agreement. Wontumi, along with Thomas Antwi-Boasiako and Wontumi Farms Limited, faces four charges: defrauding by false pretence, uttering a forged document, money laundering, and intentionally causing financial loss to a public institution. The charges stem from allegations that in 2018, they obtained GH₵14.3 million from Exim Bank for a large-scale farming project, but no farming activities were undertaken, no machinery was purchased, and a document presented as proof of purchase was allegedly forged. If the plea bargain fails and Wontumi is found guilty, he could face a maximum of 10 years imprisonment if sentences run concurrently, or up to 40 years if they run consecutively, as each charge carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years.