Accra, April 20,GNA-Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Minister of Education and Sports on Wednesday said it would be difficult to abolish the quota system used by the Ghana Education Service to grant teachers in public schools study leave.

He said: " it would be irresponsible on the part of government to allow 15,000 teachers to leave the classroom whiles it was known that only 8000 teachers come out of the training schools every year." The Minister was speaking to Journalists in Accra after he received petition from teachers who were demonstrating against the quota system adopted by GES in Accra

"Every year, there must be a net inflow into the teaching system, that is those leaving and those coming must leave a positive balance otherwise we shall destroy education in the country," he said. He said it was unfortunate that most of the teachers who applied for study leave wanted to read Sociology whiles most of schools needed science and mathematics teachers.

He said the Government would soon give priority to teachers studying science and mathematics because, "we need to focus on these subjects if we want to develop."

He called on the teachers to try taking up appointment in the basic schools after graduating from the universities rather than looking at the secondary schools as the only place to teach. "We need a technical people in this country, there is no way we would develop if do not focus on technical education," he said. He said the nation should focus on turning out graduates that are needed for national development.