Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online) Vol.5, No.30, 2014 75 Financing Human Resource Development In The Ghana Education Service: Prospects And Challenges Of The Study Leave With Pay Scheme 1 Esmond Naalu Kuuyelleh, 2 Gilbert Ansoglaenang , 3 Joseph Kofi Nkuah 1 Zamse Senior High Technical School, Bolgatanga, Ghana, 2 Graduate School, University for Development Studies, Box TL 1350, Tamale, Ghana, 3 School of Business and Law, University for Development Studies, Wa, Ghana Tel. No: +233- (0)208355566 Email: naalu2004@yahoo.com Abstract The Ghana Education Service (GES) as an organization uses its study leave with pay policy which has been at the easy disposal of teachers since independence of Ghana as a means of up grading its staff. This policy was very flexible until the year 2000 when some restrictions were placed on the accessibility of the facility. This study therefore set to find out the prospects and challenges of the study leave with pay facility with the restrictions the GES has placed on the facility. The data was gathered from teachers and administrators of the Bolgatanga Municipality. This study consisted of a quantitative survey followed by semi-structured qualitative individual interviews. Theoretical and practical issues of this type of research have been presented along with the research design, data collection and analysis procedures, and ethical considerations. The study found out that majority of teachers have benefited from the facility. However the study leave with pay facility was difficult to access because of subject areas restrictions and other administrative problems. The study concluded that many teachers have accessed the scheme by way of meeting the criteria for selection. However the criterion for selection is accompanied by cumbersome process. The Ghana Education Service should ensure that there is equality for all GES approved courses, monitor beneficiaries to ensure that they return to the classroom after studies, support teachers financially through Distance Learning Programme were some of the recommendations of the study. Keywords: study leave, policy, accessibility, facility, prospects, challenges Introduction The importance of a teacher, and particularly a well motivated and psyched up one; for the success of education delivery, and indeed the success of our quest for national progress through human resource development cannot be overstated. This is rightly supported by the report of the Eleventh Conference of Common Wealth Education Ministers at Barbados in 1990 and as indicated by the Common Wealth Secretariat, (1993) that “of all the factors that influence qualitative improvement of education, the quality, competence and character of teachers are undoubtedly the most significant”. The Common Wealth Secretariat (1993) argued that “if a teacher is not competent or qualified or does not have the positive attitudes towards the children or does not have the appropriate skills to handle the curriculum in terms of instructional methodology, all inputs in the classroom could be wasted”. The Ghana Education Reform Review Committee (2004) in their report to the government agreed that “the quality of human capital of any nation depends upon the quality of education it offers and the quality of education given is also determined by the quality of teachers who teach in the school”. In the teaching profession in Ghana, the Ghana Education Service (GES) has regarded training and development as very important in all levels; from basic level through to the tertiary level. Apart from the initial training that teacher undergo at the post-secondary and at the tertiary level, the GES still see the need for regular training and development to update its staff with new ideas in methods of teaching and new concepts that are relevant in the classroom work and for the Ghana Education Service in general. This will ensure that every teacher in the Service is instilled to have the capacity to fit into the changing reforms in the Service. Indeed, teachers are able to perform their work well when they have the requisite skills. This makes them satisfied with their work performance and willing to remain in it. It also served as a motivation to have an opportunity to regularly upgrade one’s knowledge to enable one climb the career ladder in the Ghana Education Service. The only means in the Ghana Education Service by which teachers can have this opportunity is the granting of the study leave with and without pay which is the focus of the study. THEORITICAL ISSUES The Concept of Training and Development Through continuous training and development of staff, organizations can be empowered to face the challenges of competition, globalization and technological advancement. It is in this direction that Simmonds (2002), states