The Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, Kofi Asare, has criticised the continued payment of teacher trainee allowances in Ghana, saying the policy is not the best use of the country’s money.
Speaking in an interview on TV3’s Agenda programme on Tuesday, May 12, Mr. Asare said the huge amount spent on trainee allowances every year could instead be used to employ more teachers across the country.
According to him, the government spent about GH¢203 million on teacher trainee allowances in 2025 alone. He believes this amount could help the country recruit hundreds of teachers to improve education delivery.
“The allowance is wasteful so let’s put it aside. We won’t discuss it again. Everybody knows it is wasteful. That amount (GH¢203 million) can hire about 400 teachers every year,” he stated.
Mr. Asare explained that Ghana needs to review some long-standing education policies that consume large amounts of public funds without bringing the best results for the education sector.
He also criticised the payment of allowances to nursing trainees, which he estimated costs the country around GH¢500 million every year.
The teacher trainee allowance policy was reintroduced by the government to support students in colleges of education financially and encourage more young people to enter the teaching profession. However, Mr. Asare believes the country must now focus on policies that will bring greater benefits to schools and students.
Beyond the issue of allowances, the EduWatch Executive Director also called for major changes in the way teachers are recruited in Ghana.
He proposed a demand-driven recruitment system where teachers are employed based on available vacancies in specific schools and districts, instead of the current system where many graduates expect automatic recruitment after completing college.
Using countries such as the United Kingdom and Canada as examples, Mr. Asare explained that teachers in those countries apply for advertised vacancies in particular schools or districts.
“If there’s a teacher vacancy, an advert is made from the district level for a specific school. Qualified teachers apply based on their subject knowledge and expertise, and employment is tied to a particular location,” he explained.
He added that such a system would help improve teacher placement, reduce staffing challenges, and ensure that schools receive teachers where they are most needed.
Mr. Asare maintained that reforming Ghana’s teacher employment system would make the education sector more efficient and help address teacher shortages in many parts of the country.
