Mr Haruna Iddrisu, the Minister of Education has announced government’s intention to recruit 550 Arabic teachers, nationwide. He assured that recruitment would be made in the next six months to address the acute shortage of Arabic language instructors in Islamic schools.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Conference of Regional Chief Imams, after a delegation of the Conference paid courtesy to the Minister in Accra. The statement, copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani said that the delegation was led by Sheikh Abdul Rashid Iddi, the Chairman of the Conference of Regional Chief Imams .
Other members of the delegation comprised Regional Imams of Ahlussunna Wal-Jama’a, Regional Imams of the Ghana Muslim Mission as well as representatives of the Islamic Education Unit, and officials from the Office of the National Chief Imam.
Mr Iddrisu assured the delegation of the government’s commitment to strengthening Islamic education.
He announced that 50 Arabic teachers would be recruited by the end of July 2026, while an additional 500 permanent Arabic teachers would be employed through the Ghana Education Service in January 2027 to bridge the gap.
Mr Iddrisu commended the Conference for its dedication to promoting quality education and constructive engagement with government on issues affecting the Muslim community in the country.
He reiterated the government’s readiness to work closely with the Conference and the Islamic Education Unit to improve access to quality Islamic education and ensure better learning outcomes for students across the country.
Sheikh Rear Admiral Muniru Tahiru (rtd) explained that the visit was initiated at the request of Sheikh Dr Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, the National Chief Imam “who is concerned about the growing Arabic teacher deficit and its impact on the quality of Islamic education”.
Presenting the challenges facing the sector, Mr Abdul Karim Bapuni, the General Manager of the Islamic Education Unit, said that presently the country had 1,299 Islamic basic schools.
“The nation requires about 3,033 Arabic teachers”, he stated adding however, that: “Only 706 Arabic teachers are on the government payroll, leaving a deficit of approximately 2,512 teachers”.
Mr Bapuni highlighted other challenges confronting Islamic schools, including the absence of a standardized Arabic curriculum and textbooks at the primary school level, inadequate resources for monitoring and supervision, and poor office infrastructure and equipment.
He said that those challenges had contributed to disparities in educational standards and learning outcomes across Islamic schools nationwide.
Earlier, Sheikh Iddi raised concerns about the state of Islamic education, particularly the shortage of Arabic teachers in schools under the Islamic Education Unit.
GNA
