The government has announced plans to construct 50,000 housing units for teachers across the country as part of efforts to improve their welfare, enhance retention and encourage more teachers to remain in the profession.

The Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, disclosed this during the Government Accountability Series held on Monday, July 20.

He said the project, dubbed the Teacher Dabre Initiative, will be spearheaded by the District Assemblies Common Fund and implemented at the regional and district levels to ensure teachers nationwide benefit from improved accommodation.

“We intend to construct 50,000 housing units for teachers all across the country. It is led by the District Assemblies Common Fund because we want to decentralise it at the regional and district levels,” Mr Iddrisu said.

According to the minister, the initiative forms part of the government’s broader agenda to improve teachers’ working and living conditions, recognising their critical role in delivering quality education.

“I’m happy to note that the teacher remains pivotal to the school environment and even to the organisation of school management,” he stated.

Mr Iddrisu stressed that improving teachers’ motivation and well-being remains a key priority for the Mahama administration.

“Therefore, our government places priority on the motivation and well-being of teachers,” he added.

To support the implementation of the project, the minister revealed that the Ministry of Education will provide collateral backing through the Ghana Education Service Occupational Pension Scheme (GESOPS).

“The Ministry of Education will provide collateral support using our pension fund of GESOPS to make sure that this also becomes a reality,” he explained.

He noted that the housing programme will complement other incentives introduced to attract and retain teachers, including a 20 per cent allowance for teachers who accept postings to rural and underserved communities.

“Apart from the 20 per cent allowance for persons who accept postings into rural areas, we are almost through, led by the District Assemblies Common Fund, with our Teacher Dabre Initiative, which is a bold government programme of President John Dramani Mahama to provide accommodation facilities for teachers across the country,” Mr Iddrisu said.

He expressed confidence that the initiative would help address the accommodation challenges faced by many teachers, particularly those serving in deprived areas, while improving the quality of education nationwide.

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