GES Postpones Payment Of Teachers’ Promotion Arrears

Barely three weeks after disgruntled teacher unions in Ghana suspended their nationwide strike over unpaid promotion arrears and placement delays, following assurances that their grievances would be addressed by the end of October 2026, the government has failed to honour its commitment.

The development has left thousands of teachers disappointed, after the Ghana Education Service (GES) announced that outstanding promotion arrears would now be paid on November 16, 2026.

The three pre-tertiary teacher unions, the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG), suspended their industrial action on October 9, 2026, following negotiations involving the Council of State and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC).

During the negotiations, the government reportedly agreed to address the promotion-related grievances of approximately 56,000 teachers.

However, **The Chronicle, **has gathered that only about 30,000 teachers have reportedly received payments following the validation exercise, leaving an estimated 26,000 teachers awaiting their arrears.

The development represents a setback to the agreement that persuaded the unions to call off their industrial action and return to the classroom.

GES Explains Delay

In a statement issued on October 27, 2026 GES acknowledged the delay in settling outstanding promotion arrears and announced a new payment date.

According to the Service, efforts were underway, in collaboration with the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department, to ensure that affected teachers received their outstanding payments by November 16, 2026.

“Management wishes to inform all staff who are yet to receive their promotion arrears that efforts are being made in collaboration with the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department to ensure that the outstanding arrears are paid on 16th November, 2026,” the statement said.

GES attributed the delay to the closure of the Controller and Accountant-General’s payment system for the processing of October salaries.

“It is important to note that the Controller and Accountant-General’s payment system was closed for processing of end of October Salaries when inputs were expected to be made,” it explained.

The Service indicated that the payment system would reopen on October 28, 2026, to allow the necessary inputs to be completed.

“The System will be reopened tomorrow (yesterday), 28th October, 2026 to enable all inputs to be made and facilitate payment to affected staff by 16th November, 2026,” it stated.

GES further assured teachers that discrepancies identified in payments made on October 16, 2026, would be corrected.

Management expressed regret over the delay and inconvenience caused, directing Regional Directors of Education to inform all affected staff.

Why Teachers Went on Strike

The latest development follows the nationwide strike declared by the three teacher unions on September 25, 2026, over what they described as the government’s failure to honour commitments concerning their conditions of service.

Central to their grievances was the failure to place teachers who passed promotion examinations in December 2025 and February 2026 on their corresponding salary scales. The unions also demanded payment of promotion arrears dating back to January 2026.

Another concern was the delay in concluding negotiations for a new Collective Agreement, which the unions maintained should have been finalised by June 2026.

They further raised concerns over the government’s failure to implement the promised 20 per cent deprived-area allowance for eligible teachers.

The unions accused relevant state institutions, including FWSC, of repeatedly delaying the implementation of agreements affecting teachers’ welfare.

Strike Suspended After Assurances

Following negotiations involving the Council of State, FWSC and other government representatives, the unions suspended their industrial action on October 9, 2026.

The discussions resulted in commitments to address outstanding promotion arrears, salary placement discrepancies and deprived-area allowances.

Progress was also reported in negotiations towards a new Collective Agreement, facilitated by the Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment.

The decision to suspend the strike was partly informed by concerns over disruptions to academic activities and their consequences for students.

However, the latest announcement means thousands of teachers who expected their arrears in October must now wait until November 16, 2026.

Although GES has attributed the delay to administrative challenges with the government’s salary processing system, the postponement raises fresh questions about the implementation of commitments that ended the nationwide strike.

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