The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) is under fire for favouring science teachers in its recruitment criteria, a move that has left thousands of humanities and language graduates sidelined for years, despite schools lacking enough English and Literature tutors.
Teachers argue that the policy is discriminatory and undermines the principle of equal opportunity in hiring.
According to the TSC recruitment score sheet, science teachers enjoy a significant advantage over their counterparts. Graduates specialising in sciences are awarded 65 marks, making them 13 times more likely to secure jobs compared to those teaching Geography, History, and Religious Studies, who only earn five marks.
The disparity means fresh graduates in science are absorbed almost immediately, while humanities and language teachers, some of whom completed their studies years ago, remain unemployed.
Mathematics teachers come second with 55 marks, followed by those teaching technical and creative subjects, who are awarded 40 marks. Language teachers are allocated 25 marks, while humanities remain at the bottom with only five marks.
The criteria also consider age, with the highest marks given to tutors aged 45 and above, who receive 10 marks. Those aged between 40 and 44 years are awarded nine marks, while applicants under 34 years earn seven marks.
Graduation year also carries weight. Teachers who graduated before 2016 are given 20 marks, those who finished in 2017 get 18, 2018 graduates receive 16, while those who completed their studies in 2025 earn just two marks. Academic performance is also assessed: a distinction at either degree or diploma level earns five marks, a credit four, and a pass three marks.
The TSC also evaluates teachers based on contributions to co-curricular activities at various levels.
“Teachers who have guided learners to international competitions in sports, drama, or music are scored higher than those whose pupils succeeded at the national level,” the commission said.
Promotion vacancies are distributed according to availability across different levels. The TSC prioritises posting female teachers as heads of girls’ schools to serve as role models while ensuring gender balance in mixed schools.
For teachers with disabilities (PWDs), the Commission said it has implemented a policy to achieve at least five per cent representation in each promotion cycle, in line with national disability inclusion frameworks. In the 2024/2025 financial year, TSC promoted 1,275 PWD teachers, accounting for 5.049 per cent of the total.
A section of teachers has now written to the TSC protesting the wide subject weight gap, accusing the commission of “deepening the hopelessness of thousands of qualified teachers who have been side-lined for nearly a decade.”
“Ironically, despite sidelining language and humanities teachers, JSS schools still lack sufficient language teachers, especially English/Literature teachers,” the tutors said in a letter dated August 26.
They further argued that in many schools, science teachers are being forced to take up language classes for which they were never trained, a practice they say lowers the quality of education and undermines the Competency-Based Education (CBE) curriculum.
“The disparity disregards equal opportunity and undermines the quality of education,” the teachers said.
