The three major teacher unions in Ghana’s pre-tertiary education sector have suspended their nationwide strike following assurances from the government that more than 80,000 qualified teachers will be placed on the appropriate salary scales.
The decision was announced after a closed-door meeting between the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), the Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRE-TTAG), and the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu.
The unions had embarked on the strike to demand, among other things, financial clearance and the placement of teachers who had successfully completed the promotion process on the appropriate salary scales.
Following the meeting, government directed the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department to complete the placement of the affected teachers by September.
Deputy Minister of Education, Dr Clement Apaak, said the government had also agreed to streamline the placement process by eliminating some of the administrative requirements previously imposed on teachers.
He said teachers would no longer be required to travel to regional or district education offices to submit payslips and other documents as a prerequisite for placement following successful promotion examinations.
“Upon hearing about the teachers’ strike, the Minister instructed that we convene a meeting involving GNAT, NAGRAT and PRE-TTAG. The outcome of the meeting has been positive, and we can announce that the teacher unions have agreed to continue with their dialogue so that teaching and learning may continue.”
Dr Apaak added that the government considered the concerns raised by the unions to have been sufficiently addressed and expressed appreciation to the teacher unions for agreeing to the compromise.
“The issues they raised have been sufficiently addressed. On behalf of the government and the Minister, we want to express our gratitude to the teacher unions for indulging us and agreeing to a compromise on their issues.”»
January 2026 payment date
General Secretary of GNAT, Thomas Tanko Musah, said the suspension of the strike was based on specific commitments made by government during the meeting.
According to him, the unions would closely monitor the implementation of the agreement, particularly the payment of promotion-related salaries.
«“At the meeting with the Minister of Education, we agreed, as requested in our letter, that the substantive date for the payment of promotion salaries is now January 2026 instead of July 2026, which was advertised.”»
President of PRE-TEACH, King Ali Awudu, also confirmed the suspension of the strike and urged teachers to return to their classrooms.
«“We have asked the teachers to go about their duties, and we look forward to being put on scale by September. Those who will not be able to go through by September will be captured under a supplementary budget to get them paid.”»
NAGRAT calls for action on outstanding issues
Meanwhile, President of NAGRAT, Jacob Anaba, called on the government to address other concerns that remain unresolved.
He assured teachers that the unions would continue engaging the government to find solutions to the outstanding issues.
«“We want to assure our members that all your concerns are being dealt with. This is the beginning, and there are more issues. We will listen to you and we will resolve them.”»
The three teacher unions say they will continue to engage the government on the remaining concerns while monitoring the implementation of the latest agreement.
With the suspension of the strike, teachers are expected to return to their duties, allowing teaching and learning in pre-tertiary schools across the country to resume.
By Daniel Opoku
