The Coalition of Unemployed Trained Teachers (CUTT) has formally rejected the government’s decision to recruit only 6,100 teachers from the 2023 graduate cohort, describing the move as discriminatory.
Paul Kakari, the National Organizer of the Coalition, expressed serious concerns about the government’s approach and the criteria used for selecting the 6,100 recruits.
He highlighted the scale of unemployment within the cohort, stressing that there are 17,000 qualified but unemployed teachers, and demanded the immediate recruitment of all of them.
Kakari strongly disputed the government’s claim of insufficient funds, citing evidence of substantial financial allocations in other sectors. He pointed to two specific examples:
The government’s decision to increase the salaries of presidential staffers by 67 percent, and
The allocation of over $1.2 billion to the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).
He insisted that these decisions clearly indicate the state has the financial capacity to recruit the full 17,000 teachers but has deliberately chosen not to.
“We have rejected the proposal to recruit only 6,100. We are 17,000 and we demand clearance for the entire group. What exactly will be the criteria in selecting the 6,100? Who will be chosen? The government claims it lacks resources to recruit all of us, but this is clearly untrue.
“The government has increased the salaries of presidential staffers by 67 percent. It says it does not want to disrupt the payroll, yet it has allocated over $1.6 billion to the Ghana Armed Forces to purchase new aircraft.
“You claim not to have resources to recruit new teachers but find the means to increase salaries and allocate significant funds for defense procurement. They have the resources, and therefore they must recruit all of us, or they will face our collective action.”
CUTT has given the government a two-week ultimatum to address their concerns.
“We have given the government a two-week ultimatum, and we expect a favorable response. If we do not receive a clear commitment, the public will be informed of our next course of action.”
Responding to suggestions that the government may recruit the remaining teachers later, Kakari dismissed the idea.
“No, we will not accept it. We completed our studies in the same year, sat for the same exams, and possess the same qualifications. We will not accept the decision to employ only 6,100.
“Our demand remains that all 17,000 of us must be employed. Our question still stands: what will be the criteria? The country has the resources to recruit us, but they are unwilling, as they seemingly do not care about us.”
