The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu has said approval has been given for the recruitment of 16,000 teachers more teachers in two phases, starting in November 2026.

This is coming after a recent recruitment of 7,000 teachers.

He said the move is aimed at helping to reduce teacher shortages, especially in underserved communities across the country.

Speaking at a press briefing in Accra on Monday (July 20, 2026) dubbed: Government Accountability Series, the sector minister outlined progress made in the education sector under the Mahama administration over the past 16 months.

He said the first recruitment window would open in November this year, with successful applicants expected to begin work in January and February 2027.

A second batch of 8,000 teachers would be recruited afterwards.

"We are currently employing 7,000 teachers. The President and the Minister for Finance have granted another approval beginning in November, but for them to begin work January, February, for an additional 16,000 in two cohorts of 8,000 plus 8,000," Mr Iddrisu said.

Mr Iddrisu explained that the phased recruitment was intended to address the country's teacher shortage while directing more teachers to deprived communities.

He said districts with acute teacher shortages would be given priority instead of concentrating appointments in major urban centres.

"We know that there is a deficit of teachers across the country. In this recruitment process, we prioritised deprived districts," he said.

Mr Iddrisu mentioned districts such as Sissala, Sanguli and Fumbisi as some of the areas expected to benefit from the exercise.

He also disclosed that appointment letters for the ongoing recruitment of 7,000 teachers were expected to start being issued from Friday after a slight delay in the process.

The minister said the latest recruitment would strengthen staffing levels in public basic and second-cycle schools, where shortages of trained teachers continue to affect teaching and learning, particularly in rural communities.

Beyond the recruitment of the 16,000 teachers, Mr Iddrisu said approval has also been granted to recruit staff for technical and vocational education institutions as well as some tertiary institutions.

"Overall, our sector will recruit close to 10,000 persons from now," he said, referring to recruitment already under way across agencies within the education sector, including appointments for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and tertiary institutions.

Mr Iddrisu said the government would continue to invest in teachers, school infrastructure, curriculum reforms and teacher welfare to improve access to quality education across the country.