Ghana's Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has urged striking teacher unions to consider the impact of their industrial action on the academic calendar, which has only recently been restored to the September-to-July cycle. The Minister made the appeal as he met with the leadership of the teacher unions, including the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and the Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG).
The meeting, currently underway at the Ministry of Education, aims to find a way forward for the striking teachers. The unions began their nationwide strike on Friday, September 25, 2026, resulting in widespread disruptions to teaching and learning, with reports from the Ashanti Region indicating that some schools have been forced to close due to teacher absenteeism. The strike has affected the academic calendar, which the government had worked hard to restore.
At the heart of the dispute are three major issues the unions say remain unresolved despite repeated engagements and a September 24 deadline. One of the key concerns is the delay in negotiating a new Collective Agreement, as the previous agreement expired in June 2026. The unions are also demanding the automatic placement of newly promoted teachers on their appropriate salary scales, with about 80,000 teachers reportedly affected.
Another major concern for the unions is the non-implementation of the Deprived Area Allowance. The unions have cited Section 17(2) of the 2024 Collective Agreement, which requires a review of the Deprived Area Report before negotiations on the allowance. They have also referenced a 2024 National Labour Commission ruling and a directive by President John Dramani Mahama for a 20% basic-salary allowance for teachers in hard-to-reach areas.
Press Secretary and Spokesperson for the Ministry of Education, Hasmin Mohammed, said the strike could undermine efforts to maintain the restored academic calendar. He noted that it took the Minister and the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service to restore sanity to the academic calendar, with Ghanaian school children from KG to university all reporting in September for the first time.
NAGRAT President Jacob Anaba has accused the government of acting in bad faith, stating that the unions had made repeated efforts to engage the government, but what he described as continued delays by the relevant institutions showed a lack of urgency in addressing the concerns of teachers. The unions maintain that the strike is a response to what they describe as prolonged delays and failure to fulfil commitments made to teachers.
The government is expected to engage the teacher unions to find a solution to the issue, with the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) and the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) playing key roles in the negotiations. The outcome of the meeting is yet to be determined, but it is hoped that a resolution will be reached soon to minimize further disruptions to the academic calendar.
Key points
- The Ghanaian government is working to resolve the concerns of striking teacher unions.
- The strike has resulted in widespread disruptions to teaching and learning.
- The unions are demanding the implementation of a new Collective Agreement and the Deprived Area Allowance.
