The Controller and Accountant-General's Department (CAGD) in Ghana has clarified that it has processed and paid 6,079 newly promoted teachers, whose names were submitted by the Ghana Education Service (GES). This clarification comes amid concerns raised by teacher unions over delays in placing promoted teachers on their new salary scales. The CAGD stated that the 6,079 processed cases represent only a fraction of the total expected 58,620 promotions.
According to the CAGD, the GES had submitted 6,079 completed input forms and promotion letters as of September 22, 2026. All the cases had been processed and paid with the September 2026 salaries, including arrears effective January 1, 2026. The department attributed the delay in processing the outstanding cases to the lack of required documents from the GES. The CAGD emphasized that it had processed every valid case received and that the remaining cases would be processed after the necessary documentation had been submitted and validated.
The nationwide strike by teacher unions, which began on Friday, September 25, 2026, has brought attention to the issue. The three teacher unions, the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and the Pre-Tertiary Teachers' Association of Ghana (PRETAG), are demanding the placement of teachers who passed promotion examinations in December 2025 and February 2026 on their appropriate salary scales, with arrears dating back to January 2026.
The CAGD explained that government payroll operations involve two systems: the Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS), operated by employers such as the GES, and the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Database Two (IPPD2), managed by the CAGD. The employer first effects the promotion in the HRMIS before submitting a completed and signed promotion or change-of-grade input form, together with a copy of the promotion letter, to the CAGD.
This process, according to the CAGD, helps to prevent fictitious promotions, unauthorized salary adjustments, and irregular payments. The department stated that the process followed an agreement reached at a meeting on August 31, 2026, chaired by the Minister of Education, Mr. Haruna Iddrisu. The meeting was attended by Deputy Minister of Education, Dr. Clement Abas Apaak, representatives of the teacher unions, and officials of the GES and the CAGD.
At the meeting, it was agreed that the GES would submit a master list of promoted teachers, their promotion letters, and completed input forms to facilitate the payment of arrears. Dr. Apaak stated that all teachers who passed the promotion examinations would have January 2026 as their effective date and that the government would use September to place successful candidates on their new salary scales.
The Minority in Parliament has called on the CAGD to place all promoted teachers on their new grades and pay their arrears from January 2026. The CAGD remains available to work with the Ministry of Education, the GES, and the teacher unions to resolve genuine payroll issues, emphasizing that legitimate payments would be processed once the required documents had been submitted and validated.
Key points
- The CAGD has processed and paid 6,079 newly promoted teachers out of 58,620 expected promotions.
- The Ghana Education Service has submitted only 6,079 of the 58,620 promotion cases expected for processing.
- The teacher unions' strike is demanding the placement of teachers on their appropriate salary scales with arrears dating back to January 2026.
