The Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has justified the decision to recruit 7,000 teachers, despite concerns that the number is insufficient to meet the country’s educational demands.

He explained that budgetary limitations have constrained government’s ability to hire more personnel, even as the need for teachers continues to rise across schools nationwide.

The Minister made the remarks on Tuesday, April 14, during the launch and media briefing of the 19th edition of the eLearning Africa Conference, where he addressed questions surrounding the scale of the recruitment exercise.

He maintained that the process was carried out in a fair and transparent manner, in accordance with established guidelines.

Mr Iddrisu also highlighted government’s intention to introduce a digital education policy aimed at tackling structural challenges within the sector and improving learning outcomes across the country.

“If resources were available, we should be employing and recruiting up to 50,000 teachers across the country, but due to budgetary constraints, we are unable to do that. The Ministry of Education sought clearance from the Ministry of Finance to recruit up to 7,000 teachers with degrees and diplomas. Accordingly, the process has been advertised in an open, transparent manner,” he said.