The Ghana Education Service (GES) has appealed to the country's pre-tertiary teacher unions to suspend their ongoing industrial action and return to the classroom. The appeal was made by GES Director General, Professor Ernest Kofi Davis, during a media engagement on Tuesday, September 29, 2026. The industrial action, which began on September 25, 2026, has disrupted academic activities in some public pre-tertiary schools, with reports indicating that classrooms have been affected by teacher absences.
According to Professor Davis, the industrial action has come at a particularly sensitive point in the academic year, barely two weeks after the commencement of the new school year. He noted that the GES, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Labour, the Controller and Accountant General's Department, and other stakeholders, is working to address the issues raised by the teachers and find a workable resolution to the impasse.
The GES Director General highlighted that the reopening of schools in September represented an important development after several years of disruptions that affected the regularity of Ghana's academic calendar. He stated that for the first time in approximately six years, students across various levels of the education system have reported to school within September, achieved through hard work.
Professor Davis explained that this achievement has contributed to a more coordinated and foreseeable academic schedule, enabling parents, educational institutions, and other stakeholders to organize their activities with greater certainty. He appealed to the teacher unions to reconsider their decision and allow negotiations with the government to continue without further disruption to teaching and learning.
The industrial action was declared by the Ghana National Association of Teachers, the National Association of Graduate Teachers, and the Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana, citing unresolved concerns relating to teachers' conditions of service and outstanding financial obligations. The unions have raised concerns over outstanding promotion arrears, automatic placement of teachers who completed promotion examinations onto the appropriate salary scales, and payment of arrears arising from their promotions.
The government has outlined steps to address concerns surrounding promoted teachers who have not yet been placed on their appropriate salary grades, and the GES has been directed to provide relevant data to the Controller and Accountant General's Department to facilitate the processing of affected teachers. Professor Davis emphasized that protecting the continuity of the academic year remains a major consideration and called on all parties involved in the dispute to work towards a resolution that would allow schools to operate without further interruption.
The GES is seeking an end to the industrial action while discussions continue, emphasizing the importance of resolving the teachers' outstanding concerns without reversing recent efforts to establish a more consistent and synchronized academic calendar. The strike has already disrupted academic activities in some public pre-tertiary schools, with reports indicating that classrooms have been affected by teacher absences, and some pupils left without normal teaching and supervision.
Key points
- The Ghana Education Service has appealed to teacher unions to suspend their industrial action and return to the classroom.
- The industrial action has disrupted academic activities in some public pre-tertiary schools.
- The government is working to address the issues raised by the teachers and find a workable resolution to the impasse.
