The three teacher unions have reached an agreement with the government to resolve outstanding issues regarding the placement of teachers on the appropriate salary scales following promotions within the Ghana Education Service (GES).
The agreement was reached during a crunch meeting held at the Ministry of Education on Monday, August 31, 2026, involving the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), the Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG), and government representatives.
The government delegation was led by the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, and his deputy, Dr Clement Abas Apaak. Representing the teacher unions were GNAT General Secretary Thomas Musah, NAGRAT President Jacob Anaba, and PRETAG President King Awudu Ali. Following the meeting, the unions agreed to suspend their planned strike action after the government provided assurances and outlined concrete measures to address the concerns raised.
Among the key resolutions is a decision that teachers will no longer be required to travel to their respective District Education Offices to submit pay slips for the purpose of salary-scale placement. The parties also agreed that approximately 80,000 teachers will be appropriately placed on the correct salary scales as part of the process.
The Ghana Education Service (GES) is expected to provide the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department with the requisite data to facilitate the necessary adjustments and payments to affected teachers.
At the end of the meeting, the Ministry of Education lauded the leadership of the teacher unions for their constructive engagement and commitment to resolving the matter in the interest of the country’s education system and, most importantly, the welfare of teachers.
It said it remained committed to working with all relevant stakeholders to ensure that teachers receive their rightful entitlements in a timely and efficient manner.
After the meeting, Dr Apaak told the media that upon hearing of the intentions of the teacher unions to lay down their tools in reaction to a process that they felt was unjustified and unfair, the minister instructed him to convene a meeting involving NAGRAT and CTAG.
“The outcome of the meeting has been positive, and we can announce that the teacher unions have agreed to continue doing their work, and that means that teaching and learning in our pre-tertiary institutions will continue.
“The issues they raised have been sufficiently addressed, and that is that teachers will no longer be required to go to district and regional education offices to provide pay slips and other documentation as a prerequisite for being placed at the right salary scales based on the promotional exams that they wrote and passed,” he said.
Dr. Apaak conveyed the Ministry’s appreciation to the teacher unions and their leadership for their cooperation and willingness to compromise, ensuring uninterrupted teaching and learning. He commended teachers for their dedication and sacrifices, and acknowledged union leaders for promptly attending the Minister’s emergency meeting and engaging constructively, which led to a mutually acceptable resolution.
He noted that the discussions centered on two key issues: the submission of documentation required to place teachers on the appropriate salary scales following their earned promotions, and the determination of the start date. The agreement stipulates that all teachers who sat for and passed the promotion examinations will have their effective date set as January 2026.
