Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch) has called for an urgent resolution of the ongoing nationwide strike by Ghana’s pre-tertiary teacher unions, warning that the prolonged industrial action is depriving thousands of pupils of valuable instructional time.
The strike, which began on September 25, 2026, has entered its 12th day and continues to disrupt teaching and learning across the country.
According to Eduwatch, the industrial action stems from unresolved concerns over the placement of promoted teachers on their appropriate salary scales, payment of related arrears, delays in concluding negotiations on a new Collective Agreement, and the non-operationalisation of the Deprived Area Allowance.
Eduwatch said the continued disruption was particularly worrying because every additional day of the strike further reduces instructional time and could negatively affect learning outcomes and the academic calendar.
“Every additional day of disruption reduces instructional time and compromises children’s right to education,” the education policy organisation stated.
It added that the impact was likely to be more severe for vulnerable learners who rely on schools not only for academic instruction but also for school feeding and other essential social support services.
Eduwatch has therefore urged the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC), Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service (GES), Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD), and the teacher unions to intensify negotiations and agree on a credible, time-bound resolution to the dispute.
The organisation also called on the CAGD and GES to immediately ensure that all promoted teachers receive their rightful compensation without further delay.
Eduwatch Questions Delays in Collective Agreement Negotiations
Eduwatch has also raised concerns about the delay in negotiating a new Collective Agreement for teachers.
It noted that the existing agreement expired in June 2026, while the teacher unions had reportedly submitted proposals for its review several months before its expiration.
The organisation questioned why meaningful negotiations were not concluded before the agreement expired, arguing that collective bargaining should be handled proactively to prevent industrial action from disrupting education.
“Collective bargaining should be managed proactively, with negotiations commencing sufficiently ahead of the expiry of existing agreements,” Eduwatch said.
It warned that when delays in negotiations eventually result in industrial action, “it is learners who ultimately bear the cost through lost instructional time.”
Eduwatch consequently called for stronger institutional accountability to ensure that avoidable administrative and negotiation delays do not repeatedly result in disruptions to teaching and learning.
Calls for Digitalisation of Teacher Promotion and Payroll Processes
Beyond resolving the immediate strike, Eduwatch is proposing reforms to address what it describes as systemic weaknesses in teacher human-resource and payroll management.
The organisation is calling for the digitalisation of GES and CAGD processes, particularly the processing of teacher promotions and payroll placement.
It said the continued reliance on paper-based processes creates avoidable delays, particularly for a workforce of about 400,000 staff.
Eduwatch wants approved promotion records to be transmitted electronically and securely from GES to CAGD for payroll action, eliminating the need for physical movement of documents.
The organisation is also advocating the decentralisation of teacher promotions, with Regional Education Directorates given greater responsibility for assessment, verification and routine processing, while the GES Council maintains national oversight.
It further wants GES to establish a fixed annual promotion cycle with clear timelines for applications, assessment, approval and payroll placement to eliminate promotion backlogs.
“Teachers who qualify for promotion within a given year should be processed within the same annual cycle,” Eduwatch stated.
Eduwatch Demands Implementation of Deprived Area Allowance
Eduwatch has also renewed calls for the implementation of the proposed 20 per cent Deprived Area Allowance for teachers working in deprived and hard-to-reach communities.
The organisation said the allowance was intended to improve teacher motivation and retention but had remained unimplemented despite being announced in 2009 and subsequently featuring in political manifesto commitments and the existing Collective Agreement.
According to Eduwatch, disagreements over the definition of deprived areas and eligible beneficiaries have delayed implementation for nearly two decades.
It is therefore urging the Ministry of Education, teacher unions and GES to urgently agree on a workable framework, with the Ministry of Finance providing the necessary fiscal and budgetary support for implementation.
Eduwatch concluded by urging all stakeholders to ensure the immediate payment of outstanding promotion allowances, conclude negotiations and restore teaching and learning, while undertaking reforms to prevent similar disputes in the future.
“Protecting instructional time and the right to education requires not only resolving the present strike, but also building efficient, predictable, transparent and accountable systems for managing Ghana’s teaching workforce,” the organisation stated.
The statement was issued in Accra on October 7, 2026.
EDUWATCH STATEMENT ON TEACHERS’ STRIKE
Source: Ghana/otecfmghana.com/Samuel Kwaw
