By Valentia Tetteh
The Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has announced a reduction in the qualifying period for study leave with pay for teachers who accept postings to rural and underserved communities as part of the government’s efforts to attract, motivate and retain educators in deprived areas.
Addressing Parliament, Mr Iddrisu said teachers serving in designated rural and hard-to-reach communities will now be eligible to apply for study leave with pay after two years of service instead of the previous three-year requirement.
“Mr Speaker, as part of the government’s efforts to attract, motivate and retain teachers in deprived and underserved communities, special incentives have been put in place for teachers who accept postings to such areas,” he told the House.
“I’m happy to note that one of these incentives is a reduction in the number of years required to qualify for study leave. Originally, it was three years. If you are in a deprived area, we are reducing it now to two years. Any person posted to a rural deprived area can apply for study leave with pay after two years of service,” the Minister stated.
Mr Iddrisu also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to implementing a 20 per cent rural posting allowance to improve the welfare of teachers serving in deprived communities.
“The government is committed to rolling out a 20 per cent rural posting allowance for teachers serving in rural and deprived areas. The Ministry of Finance, the Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Education are working together on its implementation,” he said.
The Minister further disclosed that discussions are underway to implement the Teacher Dabre Housing Initiative, a key policy captured in the governing party’s manifesto, to address accommodation challenges facing teachers in rural communities.
“We are currently engaged in discussions to implement the Teacher Dabre Initiative, which will provide accommodation for teachers in rural areas to address the housing challenges that often affect teacher deployment and retention in those areas,” he said.
According to Mr Iddrisu, the government intends to ensure that the construction of new school facilities is accompanied by residential accommodation for teachers.
“Under this initiative, deliberate measures are being taken to ensure that the construction of new school facilities is accompanied by teacher accommodation,” he explained.
The Minister noted that the Teacher Dabre Initiative will be implemented through a decentralised approach led by the Administrator of the District Assemblies Common Fund, with financial backing from the Ghana Education Service Occupational Pension Scheme (GESOPS).
“The initiative will be as decentralised as possible. What the Government of Ghana, through the Ministry of Education, will provide is support from our pension fund, GESOPS, which currently has about GH¢12 billion that can be used as collateral to roll out the Teacher Dabre Initiative,” he stated.
Mr Iddrisu added that a joint Cabinet memorandum involving the Ministries of Finance, Education, Works and Housing, and Local Government is being prepared to provide a clear roadmap for implementing the housing programme.
The Minister said the package of incentives forms part of the government’s broader strategy to improve teacher welfare, strengthen education delivery in underserved communities, and ensure equitable access to quality education across the country.
