Education Minister Warns Against Paying for BECE Placement and Teacher Recruitment

The Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has cautioned the public against paying money to individuals who demand cash for Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) school placements or teacher recruitment, describing such acts as criminal.

Speaking at the Governance Series organised by Three Reports and the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) on Tuesday, August 4, Mr Iddrisu acknowledged concerns over alleged bribery within the education sector and stressed the need to eliminate such practices.

“People take money for BECE placement. People take money for teacher recruitment. Is that the country we want to build? Certainly no,” he said.

The Minister urged anyone with evidence of such activities to report the matter directly to the police or the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), rather than bringing it to his office.

He said individuals found taking money from parents, students or applicants in exchange for school placements or recruitment opportunities must face prosecution.

“If you find anyone involved in BECE placement who is demanding money from a parent or a student, please report it to the police, not the minister. That’s criminal, and it should be dealt with decisively and ruthlessly,” he stated.

Mr Iddrisu further emphasised that transparency, accountability and public vigilance are critical in fighting corruption in public service delivery.

He encouraged citizens to monitor the use of public resources and demand value for money from government projects, particularly infrastructure developments.

According to him, the government is pursuing constitutional, legal and administrative reforms aimed at strengthening institutions and improving governance.

He urged Ghanaians to remain alert and report wrongdoing, saying transparency remains one of the strongest tools for addressing corruption.