The Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG) has added its voice to growing demands from teacher groups across the country, calling on the government to provide a clear and binding roadmap for the payment of salary arrears owed to newly recruited teachers. The union’s position forms part of a broader crisis that has seen thousands of teachers go unpaid for extended periods, with some waiting for as long as 17 months to receive their wages.
PRETAG has been among the teacher bodies offering support to aggrieved newly recruited teachers who have been pushing the government to act on the arrears crisis. The union’s backing comes at a time when affected teachers have grown increasingly frustrated with what they describe as vague reassurances and a lack of a concrete payment schedule from both the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance.
In a press statement dated April 5, 2026, a group of newly recruited teachers under the Ghana Education Service expressed frustration over what they described as prolonged delays in receiving their salaries, despite assurances from the Ministry of Education. While the teachers acknowledged a recent engagement with the Education Minister, during which government reaffirmed its commitment to settling the arrears, they criticised the absence of a concrete payment plan, saying the lack of clarity had deepened their uncertainty.
The discontent has been sharpened by comparisons with the health sector. Eugene Zoranu Segbefia, National Organiser of the Coalition of Unpaid Teachers, expressed frustration over what he described as unequal treatment compared to other public sector workers, asking: “We went through similar processes as the nurses, yet they are receiving their arrears from this April. Are we not also providing essential services to this country?”
Segbefia also revealed that some teachers have worked for between seven and 18 months without pay, and that despite multiple engagements with key authorities, including the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service and the Minister for Education, there had been no concrete timeline for payment. “We have teachers who have worked between seven and 18 months without salaries. As we speak, we don’t even know whether the government will fulfil its obligation to us,” he lamented.
Emmanuel Ofori, secretary for the Aggrieved Newly Posted Teachers, highlighted a glaring inconsistency in how the government was managing the GH¢1.1 billion (approximately $70 million) approved by Cabinet last October, pointing out that health sector workers had already received a clear implementation plan while teachers remained in the dark.
The situation reached a boiling point on April 15, 2026, when aggrieved teachers staged a protest over months of unpaid salaries, marching to Jubilee House and the Ministry of Finance to present a petition to government authorities. The demonstrators, made up of newly posted teachers from various colleges of education and universities, said the prolonged delay in receiving their salaries had caused severe financial hardship.
Many of the affected teachers stated that they were burdened with overwhelming debt after working for several months without salary. “This action is not out of defiance, but desperation,” their statement noted.
Following the demonstration, the government offered a phased repayment arrangement. Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Ampem Nyarko reaffirmed the government’s commitment to resolving the matter, noting that arrangements had already been made to begin payments, with arrears to be cleared in stages. Affected teachers would receive four months’ worth of salaries each month until the full amount was paid, with the first disbursement expected in May 2026. “That payment will start from May. In May, you will receive four months of arrears, in June, you will receive another four months, in July, another four months until the payments are concluded,” he assured.
However, teacher groups, including PRETAG, are not fully satisfied with verbal assurances alone. Emmanuel Ofori issued a firm warning that if the government failed to produce the promised payment plan in writing, it would signal a breakdown in negotiations and likely lead to further escalation. “The Deputy Finance Minister informed us that they are working on a payment plan, will publish it, and give us clear timelines on when payments would be made. We will hold them to account and ensure that our payments are released. If the payments are not released, we cannot guarantee what will happen next. Our members are agitated and we will not be able to contain their anger. If the payment plan is not released by the weekend as promised, we will return to the Ministry. We are a total of 6,249.”
The Deputy Finance Minister also addressed concerns about some teachers still not being placed on the government payroll, describing the situation as “unfortunate” and assuring that investigations would be conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Education. He also emphasised that the Ministry operates an open-door policy and expressed concern that the protest could have been avoided if teacher representatives had engaged directly with the Ministry for clarification.
The crisis is not entirely new. As far back as November 2025, PRETAG, along with the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), had jointly criticised the government after the Controller and Accountant General’s Department announced it could not process the Continuous Professional Development Allowance and the Continuous Development Incentive Support Allowance, both of which were guaranteed under the 2024 Collective Agreement. The unions described their displeasure as their “strongest” and accused the relevant institutions of reneging on commitments freely entered into.
PRETAG President King Ali Awudu has consistently called for the full implementation of the collective agreement, stressing: “We call for the full implementation of the collective agreement to ensure fairness and dignity for teachers nationwide.”
The broader context of the arrears crisis sits against a backdrop of ambitious government hiring plans. The Ministry of Education recently received clearance from the Ministry of Finance to recruit at least 7,000 new teachers, with the application portal opened on April 10, 2026, targeting graduates from the 2023, 2024, and 2025 cohorts. Critics argue that recruiting more teachers while thousands of existing ones remain unpaid worsens the systemic problem rather than resolving it.
For now, the government has until the end of this week to publish a formal payment plan, and teacher associations including PRETAG have made clear that they will not accept further delays. Whether the Ministry of Finance delivers on its promise or faces another round of street protests remains to be seen. The thousands of teachers who have kept classrooms running without pay say they have waited long enough.