‘We cannot feed our families’ — 170 college staff withdraw services

About 170 staff of the Savannah College of Education at Daboya in the Savannah Region have withdrawn their services over delays in migrating them onto the government payroll, more than a year after the institution was absorbed into the public Colleges of Education system.

The teaching and non-teaching staff say they will not return to work until concrete steps are taken to place them on the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department payroll, describing their continued exclusion as financially unbearable.

In a joint press conference in Daboya in the Savannah Region, members of two local associations at the Savannah College of Education, namely, the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana [CETAG] and the Colleges of Education Non-Teaching Staff Association of Ghana (CENTSAG) said the transition of the college into the public system can not be deemed complete while staff continue to work without government-paid salaries and a clear roadmap for their migration.

“Our concern is not to undermine government efforts or disregard the progress made since the college became a public institution. Rather, we seek to draw attention to the unresolved issues surrounding staff remuneration, recruitment and migration onto the government payroll, which continue to threaten staff and the smooth administration of the college,” they indicated.

The college was absorbed into the public system in March 2025, but the staff say none of them has been migrated onto the government payroll since then.

Jacob Kotochi, a lecturer at the institution, said staff had continued working in anticipation of a resolution, despite mounting financial difficulties.

He said the government had honoured its commitment to pay student allowances but had yet to address the employment and salary concerns of the college’s workforce.

“The government fulfilled one side, which was to pay the student allowances, but staff were still left out. And I can tell you that since March 2025 to now, no single staff member from the college has been put on any payroll,” he said.

Staff struggle to support families

Mr Kotochi said the delay had placed considerable pressure on staff who had families to support, particularly amid rising living costs and expenses associated with working away from home.

He said the allowances currently available to staff were inadequate, with the highest-paid personnel receiving less than GH¢2,000 and some receiving as little as GH¢500.

“How much more to feed a family with GH¢1,800?” he asked, describing the situation as unbearable.

The staff say their financial difficulties have persisted despite the college’s transition into the public education system, leaving them uncertain about when they will receive regular salaries through the government payroll.

Appeals yield no results

Mr Kotochi said the decision to withdraw services followed several attempts to resolve the matter through engagements with stakeholders, including traditional authorities and regional officials.

He said the staff had pursued different channels in the hope of securing a solution but had yet to see any meaningful outcome.

“We didn’t just get up out of the blue to embark on this industrial strike. We have tried several times to meet all relevant stakeholders. Management even led us; they went to the paramount chief in Daboya. We’ve been told that the overlord, we went; I think the regional minister, all the key holders we went, we engaged them, and still we are not seeing any result,” he said.

He insisted that the withdrawal of services would continue until the staff’s migration onto the public payroll was secured.

The action puts the spotlight on the unresolved employment and remuneration concerns at the college following its absorption into the public Colleges of Education system in March 2025.

The staff are demanding concrete action to regularise their employment and provide them with a reliable salary arrangement.