President Mahama urges greater autonomy for District Education Directors to manage schools

President John Dramani Mahama has called for empowering district education directors with greater authority to better manage schools and tackle issues such as teacher absenteeism and salary payments to teachers who have abandoned their posts.

Speaking on June 5 during the presentation of the National Education Forum Report at the Presidency, President Mahama argued that it is ineffective for the Ghana Education Service, based in Accra, to centrally manage schools located in rural districts.

He emphasized that district directors should be made autonomous, granting them the power to directly oversee schools in their areas. “This is the only way to effectively monitor which teachers are absent or have abandoned their posts,” he said.

The President also highlighted the need to decentralize teacher recruitment. Instead of relying solely on recruitment from Accra, he proposed that vacancies be declared at the district level, where local authorities have a better understanding of staffing needs.

He urged teachers to apply directly to districts where they wish to work, promoting a more localized and responsive approach to staffing schools.

These measures, President Mahama believes, will improve accountability, ensure better resource management, and ultimately enhance the quality of education across the country.