Ghana's Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has called on the Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) and the Technical Universities Senior Administrators Association of Ghana (TUSAAG) to call off their strike. This urgent call was made after a meeting between the government and the two associations. The minister expressed his expectation that public universities would reopen by the weekend, allowing academic work to begin on Monday. He emphasized that this was crucial to prevent further disruption to the academic calendar.
The meeting, which included the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC), Dr George Smith-Graham, and officials from the Ministry of Finance and the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), aimed to address the concerns of GAUA and TUSAAG. The associations, led by Rev. Kwaku Karikari and representatives of TUSAAG, had been on strike over issues including unpaid research allowances and disparities in remuneration. The strike has caused significant disruptions, particularly for freshers, and has affected preparations for the reopening of universities.
As a result of the strike, the University of Ghana and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology postponed their reopening dates. Activities on technical university campuses are also experiencing disruptions due to the strike by their lecturers. The minister assured GAUA and TUSAAG that their legitimate concerns would receive priority attention from the government. He encouraged them to consult further with their constituents and call off the industrial actions while negotiations proceed.
Mr. Iddrisu mentioned that some of the matters could be resolved immediately, including the Ministry of Education expediting action through GTEC to request all public universities to extend retirement rollover to all senior members. The minister also noted that the Minister of Finance had signed a 40 percent negotiated adjustment to market premium and non-basic allowance. He emphasized that this motion was now considered resolved.
The Education Minister reminded the leadership of GAUA and TUSAAG that the academic calendar, which starts in September, was crucial for President Mahama's Reset Agenda. He expressed the government's desire to preserve the calendar for all schools in the country to reopen in September and function effectively while their grievances were looked into. The minister assured the associations that their concerns would be addressed.
TUSAAG's President, Stanley Akamiragopam, explained that the association first declared a strike on December 2, 2025, over the government's failure to pay a one-time research allowance. Despite complying with directives, the association said its members received no payment by the promised July deadline, prompting fresh industrial action. Mr. Akamiragopam also disagreed with the government's decision to change the effective date of an interim arrangement negotiated with the FWSC.
The industrial action has affected various university activities, including student bed allocation, thesis defense programs, and essential services. The absence of administrative staff has also affected the processing of payments for fuel used by university vehicles. The minister expects all universities to reopen not later than October 18, this year, while negotiations continue.
Key points
- The Ghana Education Minister has urged GAUA and TUSAAG to call off their strike to allow public universities to reopen.
- The strike has caused significant disruptions, particularly for freshers, and has affected preparations for the reopening of universities.
- The government has made some concessions, including a 40 percent negotiated adjustment to market premium and non-basic allowance.
