Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has visited a data processing centre where the government is validating the records of teachers currently on strike.
The exercise forms part of measures announced by the government to resolve outstanding concerns raised by the pre-tertiary teacher unions and to pave the way for the payment of affected teachers.
The Minister said the government expects the validation of at least 51,000 teachers to be completed by the end of Monday, 5 October 2026, to enable the necessary arrangements for supplementary payments.
According to him, once the validated data is submitted, the Ministry of Finance will be directed to make arrangements for the first tranche of the outstanding payments. The initial payment is expected to be processed by 16 October.
He urged officials handling the exercise to work with speed and accuracy, stressing that the validation is critical to ensuring that eligible teachers receive what is due them.
The Minister said the best way for the government to honour its commitment was for 52,000 of the 80,000 records to be validated. He said the Controller and Accountant-General must work with speed.
Promotion arrears and new grades
Mr Iddrisu also reiterated the government’s commitment to placing promoted teachers on their new grades by 30 October 2026. He said it would be inexcusable for the government to fail to pay the promotion salary arrears and place teachers on the new grade by that date.
The Minister appealed to the striking teachers to consider calling off the industrial action. He acknowledged that their concerns over a collective agreement and new conditions of service remain important issues the government must address.
“I renew the call that we treat each other in good faith,” he said, calling for mutual respect between the government and the teacher unions as negotiations continue.
