Ghana is ranked second after China globally on the new Varkey Foundation reports on Teacher Status Survey published on October 22, 2020.

The survey, conducted by the Global Teacher Status Index ( GTSI) involved 35,000 participants from 35 countries worldwide in assessing the welfare and remuneration of teachers.

Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the Minister of Education, announced this at the Sixth Edition of the Nation Building Updates in Accra on the theme: “The Teacher at the Centre of Quality Education”.

The Akufo-Addo-led government has recruited and retained 93, 724 teachers since 2017 and intends to recruit additional 6,000 soon, he said.

The weekly event provides a platform for Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to render account of their stewardship to the public as part of government’s accountability agenda.

Dr Opoku Prempeh, also the member of Parliament for Manhyia Constituency in the Ashanti Region, said the Akufo-Addo-led government had abolished the three months Pay Policy, which led to the legacy arrears.

So far, government has paid 90 per cent of the legacy arrears and plans were afoot to pay the rest.

“Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo believes that the teacher is critical and central to quality education and, therefore, instituted the ‘Teacher First’ policy as part of several important reforms in the education space,” he stressed.

Dr Opoku Prempeh said government still pays the Teacher Responsibility Allowance and 35,000 teachers were benefiting.

The Minister gave the assurance that, the Akufo-Addo’s government would continue to put teachers first and at the centre of the education transformation agenda, to improve the delivery of quality education in the country.

He said government had restored the Teachers’ Book and Research Allowance of University teachers and subsequently increased it by 200 per cent.

The beneficiaries of that allowance now receive GHc1, 500 instead of GHc500 previously paid to each teacher.

Dr Opoku Prempeh said the Government had introduced 12 teacher related allowances and reiterated its commitment to make the teaching profession highly proficient and attractive.

Teachers would soon require a minimum of Bachelor’s degree to teach in any basic school due to the various reforms being implemented by government, Minister added.

Dr Opoku Prempeh noted that Kufuor’s Administration converted the Teacher Training Colleges into Colleges of Education to offer Diploma certificates and could now offer Bachelor degrees under President Akufo-Addo’s government.

He asked Ghanaians not to fall for former President John Mahama’s promises since he had been inconsistent with his promises in the education sector.

He said the NPP government under President Akufo-Addo had stayed true to its electoral promises and could be trusted to deliver more when re-elected in the December 7 polls.