The Controller and Accountant-General's Department (CAGD) has clarified that delays in the payment of promotion-related salary adjustments and arrears for teachers in Ghana are due to the submission and validation of required documents by the Ghana Education Service (GES). This process involves the GES initiating promotions through the Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS) and submitting relevant documentation to CAGD for validation and processing.
The CAGD stated that it is committed to ensuring public sector workers receive their legitimate salaries and allowances accurately and on time. The Department emphasized that the documentation requirements serve as safeguards against fictitious promotions, unauthorized salary adjustments, and irregular payments. The required documents include a duly completed and signed promotion/change-of-grade input form and a copy of the promotion or upgrading letter issued to the affected employee.
A meeting held on August 31, 2026, involving the Education Ministry, GES, teacher unions, and CAGD, agreed that GES would submit a master list of promoted staff, along with their promotion letters and completed input forms. These documents are required to process promotion arrears dating back to January 1, 2026. The CAGD noted that as of September 22, 2026, GES had submitted 6,079 completed input forms and corresponding promotion letters out of an expected 58,620 cases.
According to the CAGD, all 6,079 cases received had been processed and paid, with the applicable arrears included in the September 2026 salaries. The Department stressed that it has processed every valid case received from GES. Outstanding payments relate to cases for which GES has yet to submit the requisite documentation. The CAGD cannot process promotion-related salary adjustments without the necessary documents.
The CAGD explained that transactions would remain suspended until the required documents are submitted by GES and successfully validated. The Department expressed its availability to work with the Education Ministry, GES, teacher unions, and other stakeholders to resolve genuine payroll concerns through established procedures. It urged stakeholders to collaborate to address outstanding cases and avoid statements that could create public anxiety or misrepresent CAGD's role in the payroll process.
The CAGD also expressed appreciation to teachers for their contributions to national development and assured affected staff that all legitimate payments due to them would be processed once the requisite documentation had been submitted and validated. This assurance comes amid concerns raised by teacher unions over delays in placing promoted teachers on their appropriate salary scales.
The Ghana National Association of Teachers, the National Association of Graduate Teachers, and the Pre-Tertiary Teachers' Association of Ghana had raised concerns over the delays. The CAGD's clarification aims to address these concerns and provide clarity on the cause of the delays. The Department's efforts to resolve the issue are ongoing, with a focus on ensuring that all legitimate payments are made accurately and on time.
Key points
- CAGD attributes delays in teachers' promotion-related salary adjustments to document validation.
- 6,079 cases of promotion arrears have been processed and paid.
- Outstanding payments relate to cases for which GES has yet to submit requisite documentation.
