The Ghana Education Service (GES) has appealed to pre-tertiary teacher unions to suspend their ongoing nationwide strike and return to the classroom as the government intensifies efforts to address outstanding concerns over teachers’ conditions of service, promotion arrears and allowances. Editorial Ethics & Independence
Director-General of the GES, Professor Ernest Kofi Davis, made the appeal on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, warning that a prolonged industrial action could disrupt efforts to maintain a stable and predictable academic calendar.
He said the Service was working with the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Labour, the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department and other relevant institutions to find solutions to the concerns raised by the unions.
Professor Davis urged teachers to reconsider their decision and allow negotiations to continue, stressing that protecting the academic calendar was a shared responsibility among government, education authorities and teachers.
“We wish to associate ourselves therefore with the Ministry of Education’s appeal to teachers to rescind their decision as we work hard to address their issues,” he said.
The strike, which began on September 25, was declared by 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 say the industrial action became necessary after repeated engagements with the government failed to resolve several outstanding matters affecting teachers’ remuneration and working conditions.
Their key demands include the payment of promotion-related salary arrears, progress towards negotiating a new Collective Agreement and the implementation of the Deprived Area Allowance for teachers working in underserved communities.
Government Engages Teacher Unions
The GES appeal follows discussions between government officials and representatives of the unions in Accra as authorities seek to resolve the dispute.
The government delegation included Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu, Employment and Labour Minister Emmanuel Kwadwo Agyekum, representatives of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC), the Controller and Accountant-General, and the Director-General of the GES. Corrections Policy
Following the engagement, Mr Iddrisu said the discussions had addressed the concerns raised by the unions and outlined steps being taken to resolve outstanding issues.
However, the unions maintained their strike, arguing that previous assurances had not translated into sufficient action. GNAT’s Head of Salaries, Isaac Nii Baah, said teachers wanted concrete evidence of progress, including the payment of outstanding amounts, before returning to the classroom.
The differing positions highlight the challenge facing both sides: the government wants teaching to resume while negotiations continue, whereas the unions are seeking tangible outcomes before suspending the industrial action.
Promotion Arrears and Salary Adjustments
One of the central issues concerns teachers who have completed promotion examinations but are yet to be placed on the appropriate salary grades or receive the corresponding arrears.
The government has directed the GES to work with the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department to validate the relevant records and facilitate the processing of payments.
According to information provided by the Education Minister, nearly 80,000 promoted teachers are affected by the salary-placement issue.
Data for more than 29,000 teachers had been captured at the time of the September 28 update, and salaries for those already processed had been included in the September payroll. Editorial Standards
The government said the remaining data would be processed to facilitate payment on the appropriate grades, including outstanding arrears where applicable.
The progress of this exercise is likely to be a key consideration in the unions’ assessment of whether sufficient action has been taken.
Deprived Area Allowance and New Collective Agreement
The proposed Deprived Area Allowance is another major concern.
The government has reaffirmed its commitment to introducing a 20 per cent allowance for teachers serving in deprived and underserved communities from January 2027, subject to validation of the relevant data and the preparation of an implementation roadmap.
A validation committee chaired by the Employment and Labour Minister is expected to verify the information needed to support the proposed allowance, with teacher union representatives involved in the process.
The unions are also pressing for progress on a new Collective Agreement covering their conditions of service. Newscard
They have said negotiations remain outstanding following the expiration of the previous agreement, despite engagements with the relevant authorities.
The Fair Wages and Salaries Commission is expected to continue discussions with the unions on October 6, 2026, as the parties work towards resolving the outstanding matters.
Concerns Over the Academic Calendar
Professor Davis warned that the strike could undermine recent efforts to restore stability to Ghana’s academic calendar.
He said students across different levels of pre-tertiary education had returned to school within September for the first time in approximately six years, describing the development as an important step towards making school schedules more predictable.
A stable calendar helps schools organise lessons and examinations while enabling parents and guardians to plan around established dates.
A prolonged strike, however, could interrupt lesson delivery and create difficulties for students who have only recently begun the new academic year.
The GES has therefore called on teachers to return to their classrooms while discussions continue.
Resolution Remains Uncertain
The government’s next steps on salary adjustments, allowances and negotiations will be important in determining whether the dispute can be resolved.
For teachers, the central question remains whether the outstanding commitments will translate into verifiable progress.
For education authorities, the immediate concern is limiting disruption to teaching and learning while working towards an agreement.
Although the GES has reiterated its willingness to engage the unions, the strike remained in force following the latest discussions. Privacy Policy & Terms
A lasting resolution will depend on continued negotiations, clear timelines and practical action on the issues that prompted the industrial action.
Until the parties reach an agreement, uncertainty will remain over when teachers will fully resume classroom duties nationwide.