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Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has directed the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department to prepare a supplementary payroll for 51,000 teachers whose records have been processed and validated.
First payment target: October 16, 2026 |
Accra, Ghana — The government has taken another major step toward resolving outstanding salary and promotion-related concerns affecting thousands of teachers, with Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu directing the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) to prepare a supplementary payroll for 51,000 teachers whose records have been processed and validated.
The move is part of ongoing efforts to address grievances raised by pre-tertiary teacher unions and restore normal teaching and learning in public schools.
According to reports, the validated teachers are expected to receive the first tranche of their outstanding payments by October 16, 2026, while other affected teachers are expected to have their new grades and related payments reflected in their October salaries. (news.ghheadlines.com)
The development comes at a time when Ghana's pre-tertiary education sector is facing significant disruption following a nationwide strike by teacher unions over issues including promotion arrears, salary-grade placement, conditions of service and the proposed deprived-area allowance.
Minister Directs CAGD to Prepare Supplementary Payroll
Haruna Iddrisu said the necessary instructions had been given to the Controller and Accountant-General to ensure that teachers whose information has successfully gone through the validation process are captured for payment.
The supplementary payroll is intended to provide a mechanism for paying teachers whose promotion and salary information has already been processed rather than making them wait for the normal monthly payroll cycle.
The Minister disclosed the arrangement while engaging education stakeholders at Adukrom in the Eastern Region, as government intensifies efforts to resolve the concerns that have contributed to the ongoing industrial action.
He said discussions with the Controller and Accountant-General had reached an advanced stage, with the support of the Ministry of Finance also being brought into the process.
The immediate target is to ensure that at least 51,000 validated teachers are included in the supplementary payment arrangement. The remaining affected teachers will subsequently be incorporated into the October payroll, according to the reported government plan. (Insight Ghana)
October 16 Payment Target
The government has set October 16 as the target date for the first tranche of the outstanding payments.
The deadline follows an earlier exercise in which the Ghana Education Service and other relevant institutions were tasked with reconciling and validating the records of affected teachers.
The validation process is important because government needs accurate information on teachers who were promoted, their new salary grades and the amounts associated with their outstanding payments before additional payments can be processed.
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu had earlier visited a data-processing centre where officials were working on the records of teachers affected by the dispute.
During that visit, he urged officials to work with speed and accuracy, stressing that the validation exercise was necessary to ensure that eligible teachers received the money due them. (MyJoyOnline)
The latest directive indicates that the validation process has now reached the stage where government can begin preparing the supplementary payroll for the teachers whose records have been cleared.
What the Payment Means for Affected Teachers
For many affected teachers, the issue is not simply about receiving additional money. It is also about having their professional promotions properly reflected in their salaries.
Teachers who have been promoted but continue to receive salaries based on their previous grades can face prolonged financial difficulties, particularly where the new grade and associated arrears remain outstanding for months.
The government's decision to create a supplementary payroll could therefore provide a faster route for affected teachers to receive payments instead of waiting for the regular payroll process.
The Ministry of Education has also maintained that promoted teachers should be placed on their appropriate new salary grades.
Minister Iddrisu previously committed the government to ensuring that promoted teachers are placed on their new grades by October 30, 2026, describing failure to meet that commitment as unacceptable. (MyJoyOnline)
This means the coming weeks could be particularly important for teachers who have been waiting for both salary adjustments and promotion arrears.
Teacher Strike Remains a Major Concern
The payment arrangement comes against the background of a nationwide industrial action involving pre-tertiary teacher unions.
The unions have raised several concerns, including unpaid promotion arrears, delays in placing promoted teachers on their appropriate salary grades, negotiations over conditions of service and the proposed deprived-area allowance.
The industrial action, which began on September 25, 2026, has affected teaching and learning in public schools across the country. (MyJoyOnline)
The government has been engaging the affected unions in an attempt to find a solution.
Minister Iddrisu has repeatedly appealed to the unions to consider ending the strike as government works to fulfil its commitments.
He has also called for mutual respect and good faith between government and the teacher unions while negotiations continue.
The payment of promotion arrears is therefore only one component of the broader discussions between the two sides.
Other Teacher Concerns Still on the Table
While the supplementary payroll could address an important part of the teachers' grievances, other issues remain under discussion.
One of the major concerns is the proposed deprived-area allowance for teachers working in underserved communities.
The Education Minister has reaffirmed government's commitment to implementing the allowance, but explained that relevant data must first be validated to determine the schools and communities that qualify.
According to the minister, the government needs reliable information on deprived schools and communities before the allowance can be properly implemented. (Ghana News Agency)
The unions have also raised concerns about their expired collective agreement and conditions of service.
The Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, with support from the Ministry of Finance, is expected to engage the teacher unions on these issues.
This suggests that even if the promotion arrears issue is resolved, negotiations between government and the unions will continue over the wider conditions affecting teachers.
Why Data Validation Has Become Important
The validation exercise has become a central part of government's response because thousands of teacher records have to be reconciled before payments can be made.
The Ghana Education Service has been working with the Controller and Accountant-General's Department to verify the information.
GES Director-General Professor Ernest Kofi Davis previously indicated that officials were working with the Controller's team to reconcile the data, with a target of between 51,000 and 52,000 promoted teachers in the initial phase. (MyJoyOnline)
Minister Iddrisu has also questioned the continued dependence on manual processes for validating teacher records.
During his visit to the processing centre, he argued that technology should be used more effectively to make the process faster and more efficient.
His comments highlight a wider challenge within public-sector payroll administration, where delays in processing and reconciling records can affect workers who have already earned promotions or other employment-related benefits.
A more digital system could potentially reduce paperwork, improve accuracy and shorten the time between a teacher's promotion and the corresponding salary adjustment.
Government Seeks to Restore Normal Academic Activities
Beyond the financial implications, the government is also under pressure to restore normal teaching and learning in public schools.
The prolonged absence of teachers from classrooms can affect lesson schedules, examinations, academic calendars and students' preparation for important assessments.
For parents and students, resolving the dispute is therefore about more than salaries. It is also about ensuring that children can return to classrooms and continue their education without prolonged disruption.
The government has consequently linked its engagement with the unions to the broader objective of restoring normal academic activities.
Minister Iddrisu has urged teachers to reciprocate government's commitments by considering an end to the industrial action as the outstanding issues are addressed. (MyJoyOnline)
However, the unions' response will depend on the extent to which the commitments made by government are translated into actual payments and concrete progress on the other concerns.
Teachers Await Implementation
For the 51,000 teachers whose records have reportedly been processed and validated, attention will now turn to the implementation of the supplementary payroll.
The key question will be whether the October 16 target is met and whether payments reach the affected teachers as promised.
The government has indicated that the supplementary payroll is specifically designed to facilitate the first phase of payments, while other affected teachers are expected to have their new grades and associated payments processed through the October payroll.
This approach could provide some relief to teachers who have waited for their promotion-related payments and salary adjustments.
At the same time, the government will have to maintain clear communication with teachers and their unions throughout the process to avoid further uncertainty.
A Critical Test for Government and Teacher Unions
The latest development represents an important stage in the government's attempt to resolve the teachers' dispute.
The decision to prepare a supplementary payroll for 51,000 validated teachers demonstrates that the government has moved beyond data collection toward the payment phase.
But the success of the initiative will ultimately depend on implementation.
Teachers will be watching closely to see whether the October 16 payment target is achieved and whether the October 30 deadline for new salary-grade placement is also met.
For government, fulfilling these commitments could help rebuild confidence and create conditions for constructive negotiations on the remaining issues.
For the teacher unions, the payment process will provide an opportunity to assess whether government's assurances are being translated into action.
As negotiations continue, the central objective remains the same: resolving outstanding financial and employment concerns while ensuring that Ghana's public schools can return to stable and uninterrupted teaching and learning.
The coming weeks will therefore be crucial for thousands of teachers, their unions, students and families across the country.