The three major pre-tertiary teacher unions have reached an understanding with the Ministry of Education over concerns about delayed promotion placements, unpaid salaries and related arrears, following a high-level meeting between the two sides.
The Head of Salaries at the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Isaac Baah, says the meeting ended successfully, with government committing to resolve the outstanding promotion placement issues by the end of September 2026.
Speaking on Ahotor FM’s Adekyee Mu Nsem in Accra on September 1, 2026, Isaac Baah disclosed that the unions had notified government last Friday of their intention to embark on industrial action from August 31 if their concerns were not addressed.
He said the notification prompted an urgent meeting with the Minister of Education on Monday.
The meeting was attended by the leadership of the Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG), GNAT and the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), as well as representatives from the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department, the Ministry of Education, the National Teaching Council (NTC) and other directors.
According to Isaac Baah, the meeting focused heavily on the delayed placement of teachers who had successfully gone through the promotion process.
He said the unions proposed an automatic placement system to prevent teachers from waiting for extended periods after receiving their promotion.
Government, he said, agreed to the proposal and assured the unions that all outstanding placements would be completed by the end of September.
Although the initial deadline given was August 31, Isaac Baah explained that government attributed the delay to challenges that had emerged during the process.
He said government had now committed to clearing the outstanding placements and conducting supplementary placements where necessary to deal with any remaining backlog.
The move, he said, is expected to clear the placement of more than 70,000 teachers.
Disagreement Over Promotion Arrears
Isaac Baah also disclosed that the effective date for the payment of promotion-related arrears was another major issue discussed during the meeting.
He said government initially proposed that the payments should take effect from July 2026.
The unions rejected the proposal, arguing that teachers had written their promotion examinations much earlier.
According to him, some teachers wrote the examination in December 2025, while others sat for it in February 2026.
The unions therefore pushed for the effective date to be backdated to September 2025.
However, after negotiations, both sides agreed on January 2026 as a compromise.
Isaac Baah said the outstanding arrears will therefore be calculated from January 2026.
He explained that the issue had largely been associated with the Ghana Education Service (GES), but authorities had accepted the concerns raised by the unions.
«“They have said it, and we too have agreed to it. What is left is the implementation. We are monitoring the date they have given us.”»
School Placement Shifted to September 5
Isaac Baah further disclosed that the school placement exercise has been rescheduled to September 5, 2026.
He said the Ministry explained that the postponement was necessary to correct anomalies identified in the placement process.
He, however, cautioned authorities to act quickly to ensure that the delay does not affect the academic calendar.
According to him, the academic year is already progressing, and any further delay could put pressure on schools and force authorities to rush the process.
Isaac Baah said although the unions are satisfied with the outcome of the meeting, they will continue to monitor the implementation of the commitments made by government.
He also urged government to be proactive in dealing with challenges in the education sector, stressing that authorities should not wait until problems escalate before taking action.
Story by Stephen Kwaku Owusu Mintah
Ahotoronline, Accra.