The government has set October 16, 2026, as the deadline to begin paying outstanding salary arrears and adjustments to 51,000 teachers whose records have been validated, as efforts intensify to resolve the ongoing nationwide strike by pre-tertiary teacher unions. Editorial Ethics & Independence
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu disclosed the latest payment arrangement while engaging education stakeholders at Adukrom in the Eastern Region.
He said the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department had been directed to prepare a supplementary payroll to facilitate payments to teachers whose data had successfully gone through the validation process.
According to the Minister, discussions with the Controller and Accountant-General had reached an advanced stage, with the Ministry of Finance also supporting efforts to ensure that the payment process is completed within the announced timeline.
Mr Iddrisu said the supplementary payroll would initially cover at least 51,000 teachers whose records and new salary grades had been validated. He explained that the remaining affected teachers would be incorporated into the October payroll.
The development comes as the nationwide industrial action by pre-tertiary teacher unions continues to disrupt teaching and learning in schools. The strike, which began on September 25, has been linked to unresolved concerns over promotion arrears, salary placement, conditions of service and the proposed deprived-area allowance.
The government’s latest commitment follows an earlier directive to validate the records of thousands of teachers who had been promoted but had not received the corresponding salary adjustments and arrears.
On October 4, Mr Iddrisu visited a data processing centre where officials were working to validate the records of affected teachers. At the time, he directed officials to complete the validation of at least 51,000 records to allow government to proceed with supplementary payments.
The validation exercise is considered important because it allows government to establish the eligibility of individual teachers and determine the appropriate salary grades and arrears before public funds are released.
Mr Iddrisu has also pledged that the broader issue of promotion arrears will be resolved by the end of October.
He previously stated that government had accepted responsibility for settling outstanding promotion-related payments owed to eligible teachers and promised that teachers would be placed on their appropriate grades.
Beyond the payment of arrears, negotiations between government and teacher unions are continuing over several outstanding issues.
These include an expired collective agreement, conditions of service and the proposed 20 per cent deprived-area allowance for teachers working in underserved communities.
The deprived-area allowance remains particularly significant because government has said it needs to validate data on schools and communities before determining which teachers qualify.
Mr Iddrisu explained that eligibility would need to be based on clear criteria because teachers can be transferred between communities, potentially affecting their qualification for the allowance.
The Fair Wages and Salaries Commission has been tasked with engaging the teacher unions on conditions of service as government seeks to reach a broader agreement and bring the industrial action to an end. Corrections Policy
Mr Iddrisu has repeatedly appealed to the striking teachers to return to the classroom, stressing the need to protect Ghana’s academic calendar. He has also expressed confidence that the outstanding issues can be addressed through continued negotiations.
However, the strike has highlighted wider concerns about teacher welfare, financial security and the government’s ability to implement agreed employment arrangements within reasonable timeframes.
For teachers who have waited for years to receive promotion-related salary adjustments, the October payment commitment could provide significant financial relief.
The government’s ability to meet the deadline will therefore be closely watched by teachers, unions, parents and other stakeholders in the education sector.
The payment issue also has implications beyond individual teachers. Prolonged industrial action can affect lesson delivery, examinations, school calendars and the academic progress of thousands of pupils and students across the country.
Resolving the dispute will consequently require more than a payment schedule. A sustainable solution will depend on addressing the underlying concerns surrounding conditions of service, promotion processes, allowances and communication between government and teacher unions. Editorial Standards
For now, the government’s immediate priority is to complete the supplementary payroll and ensure that the first group of 51,000 validated teachers receives the promised payments by October 16.
If that deadline is met, it could represent an important step towards rebuilding confidence between government and the teaching profession and creating the conditions necessary for the striking teachers to return to the classroom.
The outcome of the ongoing negotiations and the government’s ability to fulfil its October commitments will ultimately determine whether the current dispute can be brought to a lasting conclusion.