The Ministry of Education and three major teacher unions have reached an agreement to resolve outstanding issues relating to the placement of teachers who successfully passed promotion examinations onto their appropriate salary scales within the Ghana Education Service (GES).
The agreement follows an emergency meeting between the government and representatives of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG) on Monday, August 31, 2026.
The meeting was convened after the teacher unions expressed concerns over the processes being used to place promoted teachers on the appropriate salary scales and threatened industrial action over what they considered to be unfair and burdensome requirements. The government delegation was led by the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, and his Deputy Minister, Dr Clement Abas Apaak.
Representing the teacher unions were GNAT General Secretary Thomas Musah, NAGRAT President Jacob Anaba and PRETAG President King Awudu Ali. Following extensive discussions, the unions agreed to suspend their planned strike action, paving the way for uninterrupted teaching and learning in pre-tertiary educational institutions across the country.
A major outcome of the meeting is the decision that teachers will no longer be required to travel to District Education Offices to submit their payslips and other documents as a prerequisite for placement on the appropriate salary scale.The government and the unions also agreed that close to 80,000 teachers who have successfully passed their promotion examinations will be appropriately placed on their correct salary scales.
The Ghana Education Service is expected to provide the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department with the necessary data to facilitate the required adjustments to the affected teachers’ salaries and ensure that the appropriate payments are made. The agreement is expected to bring relief to thousands of teachers who had raised concerns about delays and administrative challenges associated with their promotion placements.
Another significant issue addressed at the meeting was the effective start date for teachers who passed their promotion examinations. According to Dr Apaak, the government and the teacher unions agreed that all teachers who wrote and passed the promotion examinations would have a start date of January 2026.
He said the agreement addressed the two main concerns raised by the teacher unions, the requirement for teachers to submit physical documentation before being placed on their appropriate salary scales and the date from which the new placements would take effect. “So, the agreement is that all teachers who wrote the promotion exams and passed would have a start date of January 2026,” Dr Apaak emphasised.
The decision means that eligible teachers are expected to have their promotion-related salary adjustments calculated from January 2026, subject to the implementation of the agreed administrative processes.
The agreement has also averted a potential disruption to teaching and learning in Ghana’s pre-tertiary education sector. The unions had planned industrial action in response to what they described as an unjustified and unfair process requiring teachers to personally submit payslips and other documentation at education offices to facilitate their placement.
Dr Apaak explained that the government became concerned after learning of the unions’ intention to withdraw their services. He said the Minister of Education subsequently instructed him to convene an emergency meeting with the teacher unions to find a solution to the matter. “Upon hearing of the intentions of the teacher unions to lay down their tools in reaction to a process that they felt was unjustified and unfair, the minister instructed me to convene a meeting involving NAGRAT, GNAT, and PRETAG,” he said.
According to him, the discussions produced a positive outcome, with the unions agreeing to continue working while the government takes steps to implement the agreed measures. “The outcome of the meeting has been positive, and we can announce that the teacher unions have agreed to continue doing their work, and that means that teaching and learning in our pre-tertiary institutions would continue,” Dr Apaak said.
He maintained that the concerns raised by the unions had been sufficiently addressed through the agreement reached at the meeting.
A key component of the agreement is the removal of the requirement for teachers to physically report to district and regional education offices to submit payslips and other documents for salary placement. Dr Apaak said the government recognised the concerns associated with requiring thousands of teachers to travel to education offices to provide documentation that could otherwise be obtained through administrative channels.
He explained that teachers who passed the promotion examinations had legitimately earned their promotions and should not be subjected to unnecessary administrative hurdles before being placed on the corresponding salary scales.
“The issues they raised have been sufficiently addressed, and that is that teachers will no longer be required to go to district and regional education offices to provide pay slips and other documentation as a prerequisite for being placed at the right salary scales based on the promotional exams that they wrote and passed,” he said.
The Ghana Education Service will instead be responsible for supplying the necessary information to the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department to enable the salary adjustments to be processed. The arrangement is intended to streamline the placement process and reduce the administrative burden on teachers.
The Ministry of Education has commended the leadership of GNAT, NAGRAT and PRETAG for their willingness to engage with the government and reach a compromise. The ministry described the resolution as an important step towards protecting the stability of Ghana’s education system while ensuring that teachers receive the benefits they are entitled to.
Dr Apaak also expressed appreciation to the unions for responding to the Minister’s invitation at short notice and agreeing to resolve the matter through dialogue rather than industrial action. “So, once again, we want to appreciate our teachers for their hard work, their sacrifices, and to appreciate the leadership of the teacher unions for responding to the minister’s call for an emergency meeting at a very short notice,” he said.
He added that the unions had demonstrated their commitment to the importance of teaching and learning by listening to the government’s position and accepting a compromise that would allow schools to continue operating without disruption. The resolution comes at a time when the government is seeking to improve the conditions of service and administrative processes affecting teachers across the country.
The implementation of the agreement will now depend largely on the ability of the Ghana Education Service to compile and submit accurate data on the affected teachers to the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department.
With close to 80,000 teachers expected to benefit from the appropriate salary-scale placement and January 2026 effective date, the successful implementation of the agreement is expected to bring an end to the immediate dispute and provide greater clarity on the handling of future teacher promotions.
For the teacher unions, the agreement represents a compromise aimed at protecting the interests of their members while avoiding disruption to academic activities. For the government, it provides an opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to resolving teacher-related grievances through dialogue and administrative reforms.
The Ministry of Education has reiterated its commitment to working with the relevant stakeholders to ensure that teachers receive their rightful entitlements in a timely and efficient manner, while maintaining uninterrupted teaching and learning in Ghana’s pre-tertiary schools.
By: Philbert Amiba Ayuusah