We can’t force teachers to stay in the profession – Education Ministry

Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ministry of Education, Ernest Akosah, has admitted that as much as the attrition rate is high in the teaching profession, there are many more people applying to the profession.

Explaining why people leave the teaching profession, he noted that most of them do not teach because they seek long-term careers as teachers.

“A lot of teachers have their own reasons for venturing into the teaching profession. Some are with the I just came to pass through and will leave after getting another job notion. You can’t force such people to stay, and that’s why we record such high attrition rates. Every now and then, as people are leaving, there are others who also desire to teach coming in,” he noted.

Builsa South lawmaker Dr Clement Apaak has revealed that forty-four thousand teachers left the profession of teaching in 2021.

“Government owes the basic schools four tranches of capitation grants. Forty-four thousand teachers left the teaching profession in 2021,” the member of the Education Committee in Parliament told an Accra-based radio station on Tuesday, January 11.

Reacting to the statement, Ernest Akosah noted that although the MP has made this report, it needs to be validated.

“We record attrition rates alright, but the rate given by the MP is rather high, and we will check our database to confirm the right number and share with the public.”

The PRO added the investments made by the government in the teaching sector have now made the profession more attractive.