The Controller and Accountant-General's Department (CAGD) in Ghana has clarified the process for paying promoted or upgraded teachers, emphasizing that it depends on the submission of required documents by the Ghana Education Service (GES). This clarification comes after concerns were raised by teacher unions, including the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and Pre-Tertiary Teachers' Association of Ghana (PRETAG), over delays in placing promoted teachers on their appropriate salary scales.
According to the CAGD, the government payroll system operates through two platforms: the Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS), managed by employers such as the GES, and the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Database 2 (IPPD2), administered by CAGD. The established procedure requires GES to initiate promotions on the HRMIS and forward necessary documentation to CAGD for validation and payroll processing. The required documents include a duly completed and authorized promotion or change-of-grade input form, along with a copy of the employee's promotion or upgrading letter.
The CAGD stated that these documents are necessary safeguards against fictitious promotions, unauthorized salary adjustments, and irregular payments. An agreement reached at a meeting on August 31, 2026, involving the Ministry of Education, teacher unions, GES, and CAGD, required the Education Service to submit a master list of promoted staff, their promotion letters, and completed input forms. The meeting, chaired by the Minister of Education, also agreed that validated cases would be processed with promotion arrears backdated to January 1, 2026.
As of September 22, 2026, the GES had submitted 6,079 completed input forms and corresponding promotion letters out of an expected 58,620 cases. The CAGD reported that all 6,079 cases submitted had been processed and paid, including applicable arrears, as part of the September 2026 salaries. The Department emphasized that every valid case received from GES had been processed, adding that outstanding payments relate to cases for which the required documentation has not yet been submitted by the employer.
The CAGD stressed that it cannot validate or process promotion-related salary adjustments without the necessary documentation from GES. Transactions without the required documents would remain suspended until the information is submitted and successfully validated. The Department expressed its readiness to engage with the Ministry of Education, GES, teacher unions, and other stakeholders to resolve genuine payroll concerns.
The CAGD also urged stakeholders to work together and avoid statements that could create public anxiety or give an inaccurate impression of the Department's role in administering government payroll. The Department reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that all legitimate payments due to teachers are processed once the required documents are submitted and validated.
The CAGD's clarification aims to address concerns over delays in paying promoted teachers and emphasizes the importance of submitting required documents for validation and payroll processing. Key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Education and teacher unions, are expected to work together to resolve payroll concerns and ensure timely payments to teachers.
Key points
- CAGD requires necessary documentation from GES to process promotion-related salary adjustments.
- 6,079 cases of promoted teachers have been processed and paid as of September 22, 2026.
- Outstanding payments relate to cases for which required documentation has not been submitted by GES.
