Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has warned that the government has no excuse to fail to pay teachers’ promotion arrears by October 30, 2026, as the Ghana Education Service (GES) races to submit data on more than 51,000 promoted teachers to the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD).
Speaking during a visit to GES staff working on the data on Sunday, October 4, Mr Iddrisu said completing the details would allow the government to direct the Ministry of Finance to secure supplementary payment for the first phase.
“At least 51,000 would have been ready; then we can get and direct the Minister of Finance to get a supplementary payment for the first leg of it,” he said.
He added: “It will be inexcusable for government not to honour the payment of the teachers’ promoted arrears by October 30th.”
The GES has been given until 4 p.m. on Monday, October 5, to complete and submit the relevant details to CAGD. GES Director-General Prof Ernest Kofi Davis told JoyNews on Sunday that officials were working with the Controller’s team to reconcile the data. He said the Service was targeting between 51,000 and 52,000 promoted teachers and was doing everything possible to meet the deadline.
The development comes amid an ongoing industrial action by the three major pre-tertiary teacher unions — the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG). The unions have cited delayed promotions and unpaid arrears among their key grievances.
The strike, which began on September 25, 2026, has disrupted academic activities in several parts of the country, with schools in Tema, Sunyani, Kumasi and other areas largely deserted. Students have resorted to self-study, while food vendors around schools count their losses. The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has urged both government and the unions to resolve the impasse urgently, warning that a prolonged strike could hurt students.
CAGD has said it has processed and paid all 6,079 teacher promotion cases submitted by GES, including applicable arrears effective January 1, 2026. But that is only a fraction of the expected 58,620 promotions, leaving 52,541 cases yet to be submitted with the required documentation. The department blamed the delays on the late submission of documents by GES, insisting it had processed every valid case received.
At a high-level meeting on Friday, October 2, government representatives tabled what Mr Iddrisu described as “an improvement to the teacher unions’ demands.” The government team included the Minister of Education, Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, Employment and Job Creation Minister Emmanuel Kwadwo Agyekum, Fair Wages and Salaries Commission CEO Dr George Smith-Graham, and Controller and Accountant-General Kwasi Agyei.
Government committed to placing all promoted teachers on their new grades on or before October 30, 2026. From Monday, CAGD was expected to validate data for up to 51,000 teachers, with a supplementary payment schedule for that category, while others would receive their new grades and related payments through their October salaries.
Two other issues were also tabled: government’s manifesto pledge to pay a 20 per cent deprived-area allowance to deserving teachers, and the negotiation of expired conditions of service. The unions were invited back to the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission on Tuesday.
Mr Iddrisu insisted the government would not renege on its pledge. “If by October 30, 2026, your promotion arrears are not paid, then I will have no honour,” he said.
But the unions have maintained they are “no longer prepared to rely on promises” and want evidence of action before returning to the classroom. Their leadership is expected to meet on Monday to consider the government’s proposals.
