‘If promotion arrears aren’t paid by October 30, I’ll have no honour’ – Haruna Iddrisu to Teachers

Minister of Education Haruna Iddrisu has assured striking teachers that the government will settle outstanding promotion arrears owed to them by October 30, 2026.

Mr Iddrisu said the government recognises its responsibility as the employer of teachers and is committed to honouring financial obligations arising from promotions and placement on new salary grades.

“If by October 30, 2026, your promotion arrears are not paid, then I will have no honour,” the Minister said.

He gave the assurance at a two-day symposium and exhibition organised by the National Teaching Council (NTC) for teachers at the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) Hall in Accra.

The commitment comes as the three major pre-tertiary teacher unions — the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and Pre-Tertiary Education Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG) — continue their nationwide industrial action over outstanding concerns.

The unions began the strike on September 25, citing delayed promotion-related payments, the failure to automatically place promoted teachers on appropriate salary scales, delays in negotiating a new collective agreement and the non-implementation of the proposed 20% deprived-area allowance.

The government has begun steps to validate and process the records of affected teachers to facilitate payment.

Mr Iddrisu said the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) was validating data covering about 51,000 promoted teachers.

He explained that a supplementary payment schedule would be prepared for one category of affected teachers, while others would have their new grades and related payments reflected in their October salaries.

The Ghana Education Service (GES) had been working to submit the relevant data to CAGD by Monday, October 5, as part of the government's efforts to meet the October 30 deadline.

During a visit to GES officials working on the exercise on October 4, Mr Iddrisu said the government would pursue supplementary funding once the data had been processed.

“At least 51,000 would have been ready; then we can get and direct the Minister of Finance to get a supplementary payment for the first leg of it,” he said.

He subsequently described it as “inexcusable” for the government not to honour its commitment to pay the outstanding promotion arrears by October 30.

Beyond promotion arrears, the government and teacher unions are also expected to continue discussions on the teachers’ expired collective agreement and the proposed 20% deprived-area allowance.

The Fair Wages and Salaries Commission is scheduled to meet the teacher unions on October 6 to resume negotiations on their conditions of service.

The government has also established a committee involving representatives of the teacher unions and the Ghana Statistical Service to validate data and determine teachers and communities eligible for the proposed deprived-area allowance.

Mr Iddrisu has appealed to the unions to consider suspending their industrial action in response to the government's commitments.

However, the unions have maintained that concrete implementation of their demands remains central to resolving the dispute.

The outcome of the ongoing engagements and the processing of promotion records will determine whether the government meets its October 30 commitment and whether the nationwide strike can be brought to an end.