The Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG) says the government's pledge to clear promotion arrears will not end the nationwide strike. According to PRETAG President King Ali Awudu, the long-delayed professional allowance, promised in 2009, remains unpaid. The allowance, set at 20% of teachers' salaries, has been a key demand for the teacher unions. Despite the government's commitment to settle outstanding promotion arrears, Awudu stated that this alone cannot persuade teacher unions to suspend their strike.
The 20% professional allowance was first promised in 2009 by then-Education Minister Alex Tetteh-Enyo. Seventeen years later, the promise remains unfulfilled. Awudu expressed frustration that the same promise is still being discussed without resolution. He noted that the collective agreement between the unions and government had not delivered on key provisions, including the allowance and other unmet commitments. As a result, the unions cannot simply call off the industrial action based on assurances alone.
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has pledged to clear outstanding promotion arrears by 30 October. He has stated that he is personally prepared to be held accountable if the commitment is not met. While PRETAG acknowledged that government has begun processing some of the arrears, Awudu maintained that this does not address the broader grievances driving the strike. He described any decision to call off the action as "difficult" without concrete movement on the outstanding demands.
The dispute has been building for weeks, with roughly 80,000 teacher promotions held up by delays in transferring data between agencies. Officials attributed the holdup to administrative bottlenecks rather than political interference. A study highlighted that some educators spend up to 70% of their salaries on transport and rent, underscoring the financial pressure behind the unions' demands.
The Education Ministry has issued warnings to schools over unapproved fees and diverted school feeding supplies amid the disruption caused by the strike. The Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) is scheduled to meet leaders of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and PRETAG on 6 October. Iddrisu has repeatedly called on striking teachers to return to classrooms while negotiations continue.
However, the unions have maintained their position pending progress on the allowance and other conditions of service. No fresh timeline for resolving the 20% professional allowance has been given by government, and it remains unclear what, if anything, will be announced at Tuesday's meeting beyond discussions already flagged around the arrears payment.
For now, PRETAG's position signals that even a successful clearance of promotion arrears by the end of October may not be sufficient to end the strike. The fate of classrooms across Ghana remains tied to how government responds to a demand that has sat unresolved since 2009. The strike has significant implications for the education sector, with thousands of students affected by the absence of their teachers.
Key points
- The Ghanaian government has pledged to clear outstanding promotion arrears by 30 October, but teacher unions are demanding more.
- The 20% professional allowance for teachers was first promised in 2009 and remains unpaid.
- The strike has significant implications for the education sector, with thousands of students affected by the absence of their teachers.
