The Ghana Education Service (GES) has announced that it will postpone the payment of teachers' promotion arrears to November 16, 2026. This decision comes barely three weeks after disgruntled teacher unions in Ghana suspended their nationwide strike over unpaid promotion arrears and placement delays. The unions had been assured that their grievances would be addressed by the end of October 2026. However, the GES has now informed teachers that efforts are being made to ensure that affected teachers receive their outstanding payments by November 16, 2026.
The postponement has left thousands of teachers disappointed, as they had expected to receive their arrears in October. According to reports, only about 30,000 teachers have reportedly received payments following a validation exercise, leaving an estimated 26,000 teachers awaiting their arrears. The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG) had suspended their industrial action on October 9, 2026, following negotiations involving the Council of State and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC).
The teacher unions had gone on strike on September 25, 2026, over 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.
In a statement issued on October 27, 2026, the GES acknowledged the delay in settling outstanding promotion arrears and announced the new payment date. According to the Service, the delay is due to the closure of the Controller and Accountant-General's payment system for the processing of October salaries. The GES attributed the delay to administrative challenges with the government's salary processing system.
The GES has 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. The Service indicated that the payment system would reopen on October 28, 2026, to allow the necessary inputs to be completed.
The postponement raises fresh questions about the implementation of commitments that ended the nationwide strike. Although the GES has attributed the delay to administrative challenges with the government's salary processing system, thousands of teachers who expected their arrears in October must now wait until November 16, 2026. The development represents a setback to the agreement that persuaded the unions to call off their industrial action and return to the classroom.
The GES has assured teachers that efforts are being made in collaboration with the Controller and Accountant-General's Department to ensure that outstanding arrears are paid on November 16, 2026. The Service has directed Regional Directors of Education to inform all affected staff about the new payment date. The postponement has sparked concerns about the government's ability to implement agreements affecting teachers' welfare.
Key points
- The Ghana Education Service has postponed the payment of teachers' promotion arrears to November 16, 2026, citing administrative challenges with the government's salary processing system.
- The postponement affects an estimated 26,000 teachers who are yet to receive their promotion arrears.
- The development represents a setback to the agreement that persuaded the teacher unions to call off their industrial action and return to the classroom.
