Study leave with pay and human resource development in the metropolitan education directorate of Ghana Education Service Kumasi

Abstract

Education plays a vital role in the development of the human resource of every nation and it is an undeniable fact that the development of every nation also depends on the human resource. Investment in the education, training and development of the human resource is a necessary condition for national development however the success of this largely depends on the quality of teachers. Hence there is the need for staff development programmes that commensurate with the nation’s development programmes. Study leave with pay is one of the staff development programmes instituted by the GES for teachers to enable them further their education and acquire the competences needed for the demands of the GES. The study was carried out to examine the effect of the study leave with pay policy on human resource with regard to the need for the policy, the quota system, performance of beneficiaries and the cost effectiveness of the policy. Officials at the regional, metro, sub-metro, some teachers on study leave and others in the classroom were the respondents. The study revealed that respondents were against the abolition of the policy as being advocated by some stakeholders. They said the quota should be increased to ensure the presence of a competent workforce within the GES. Beneficiaries should be monitored and assessed always to reduce the attrition level and to make sure that the policy becomes cost effective.