Former Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum’s spokesperson, Yaw Opoku Mensah, has denied the Ministry of Finance’s claim that 6,300 Ghana Education Service (GES) staff were recruited in 2024 without financial clearance. The ministry said the workers were brought on board before the necessary approvals were secured, only receiving clearance in four tranches after Cabinet approval.
According to Mr Mensah, official Ministry of Finance records show that a financial clearance letter dated 10 May 2024 granted the Education Minister permission to recruit 2,000 graduate teachers. The letter directed the GES Director‑General to process documents and place recruits on the mechanised payroll by 1 August 2024, with clearance valid until 31 December 2024.
He added, “For the avoidance of doubt, not a single person was recruited outside the financial clearance granted in 2024. Every individual recruited had their name and particulars captured on the GES master list.” Mr Mensah called the Ministry’s claim a “refresher course” in its own records and accused the current administration of shifting blame for salary issues onto the previous government.
Mr Mensah stressed that the main issue is the payment of legitimately recruited workers, noting that all 6,300 staff covered under the special arrangement have been paid, as the Ministry maintains. He urged any worker with unresolved salary concerns to contact the GES to resolve payroll matters.
