Teachers in Ghana waiting for salary adjustments and promotion-related arrears have received a clarification from the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) concerning the processing of their payments.
CAGD says it has fully processed and paid all 6,079 teacher promotion cases submitted to it by the Ghana Education Service (GES), including applicable arrears. The payments were included in the September 2026 salaries of the affected teachers, with the applicable arrears dating back to January 1, 2026.
At the same time, CAGD says the 6,079 cases represent only part of the 58,620 promotion cases expected from GES. According to the Department, the outstanding cases could not yet be processed because the required documentation had not been submitted for those cases.
The clarification comes amid concerns from the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Pre-Tertiary Teachers’ Association of Ghana (PRETAG) over delays in placing promoted teachers on their appropriate salary scales and paying the corresponding arrears. The issue is among the matters connected to the nationwide strike declared by the teacher unions on September 25, 2026.
| Item | Figure / Status |
|---|---|
| Promotion cases expected from GES | 58,620 |
| Cases submitted to CAGD as of September 22 | 6,079 |
| Cases processed and paid | 6,079 |
| Difference between expected and submitted | 52,541 |
| Applicable arrears | Effective from January 1, 2026 |
| Salary in which submitted cases were paid | September 2026 salary |
CAGD's position is that it has already processed every valid teacher promotion case for which GES provided the required documentation.
In a statement dated September 27, 2026, CAGD said GES had submitted 6,079 completed input forms and corresponding promotion letters as of September 22. These submissions formed part of the 58,620 cases expected to be processed. CAGD said all 6,079 cases received with the required documents had been fully processed and paid.
This distinction is important because the figure of 58,620 refers to the number of cases CAGD expected to receive from GES. It does not mean that CAGD had received 58,620 complete cases and left 52,541 unpaid. According to CAGD, the Department had received documentation for only 6,079 cases at the time covered by the statement.
Using the figures provided by CAGD, the numerical difference between the 58,620 expected cases and the 6,079 cases submitted was 52,541 cases. Those remaining cases were not described by CAGD as fully documented cases awaiting payment; rather, the Department said the necessary information had yet to be submitted for processing.
CAGD explained that promotion-related salary adjustments cannot simply be added to the government payroll without the required documentation.
Under the process outlined by the Department, the Ghana Education Service, as the employer, initiates and effects promotions through the Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS). The relevant documents are then submitted to CAGD for validation and processing through the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Database 2 (IPPD2).
According to CAGD, the documents required include a duly completed and signed promotion or change-of-grade input form and a copy of the relevant promotion or upgrading letter. The input form must carry the signatures of authorised officials whose specimen signatures have been submitted to CAGD.
CAGD said these requirements are not simply administrative paperwork. The Department described them as safeguards intended to prevent fictitious promotions, unauthorised salary adjustments and irregular payments while helping to ensure that legitimate employees receive their approved entitlements.
The current issue can be traced to a meeting held on August 31, 2026 involving the Ministry of Education, GES, teacher unions and CAGD.
According to CAGD, that meeting agreed that GES would submit a master list of promoted staff together with their promotion letters and completed input forms. The documentation was required to allow CAGD to process the relevant promotion arrears with effect from January 1, 2026.
The latest CAGD statement therefore provides an update on the progress made after that agreement. The Department says 6,079 complete cases had reached it by September 22 and all those cases had been processed and paid.
The remaining issue, according to CAGD, is the submission and validation of the documentation covering the outstanding cases.
CAGD says the affected teachers received the applicable promotion-related payments as part of their September 2026 salaries.
The Department also stated that the applicable arrears were effective from January 1, 2026. This means that for the valid cases included in the September payroll processing, the relevant salary adjustments and arrears were accounted for from that date.
It is important, however, not to interpret that statement as meaning that every teacher covered by the expected 58,620 cases has already received the arrears. CAGD specifically tied the completed payments to the 6,079 cases that had been submitted with the required documents.
For teachers whose promotion cases are part of the wider expected figure but whose documentation has not yet reached CAGD, the payment process remains incomplete.
CAGD says outstanding payments are linked to cases for which GES has not yet submitted the required documentation for validation and payroll processing. The Department stated that once the documents are received and properly validated, the relevant transactions can be processed.
This means the current issue involves more than the payroll system itself. There is a sequence that must take place before a promoted teacher's new salary can be reflected in the payroll: the promotion must be initiated by the employer, the necessary documentation must be prepared and submitted, CAGD must validate the case, and the salary adjustment must then be processed.
Where one of those steps has not been completed, payment can remain pending.
The CAGD clarification comes during a nationwide strike by the three major pre-tertiary teacher unions: GNAT, NAGRAT and PRETAG.
The unions began the industrial action on Friday, September 25, 2026. Among the issues they have raised are the placement of promoted teachers on their appropriate salary scales and the payment of promotion arrears dating back to January 2026. They are also seeking progress on conditions of service and the implementation of the Deprived Area Allowance.
CAGD's statement was therefore issued against the background of a broader disagreement over teacher remuneration and employment conditions. The Department's clarification specifically addresses its role in the promotion payroll process and the documentation it says it requires from GES.
There was a further development on September 28, 2026, when Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu met representatives of the teacher unions and other government agencies as discussions continued over the issues behind the strike.
The Ghana News Agency reported that the Minister assured promoted teachers that their salaries would reflect their new grades, while outstanding promotion arrears were expected to be paid from October 2026.
The Ministry of Education also said GES was expected to submit additional data to CAGD to facilitate processing of outstanding promotion arrears. According to the Ministry's Press Secretary, some data submitted by GES over the weekend had already been processed, while further submissions were required before the remaining eligible teachers could be paid.
This later development is important because it shows that the process was continuing after CAGD's September 27 clarification. The 6,079 cases already paid were therefore not necessarily the final set of cases that would be processed.
According to CAGD, the next step for outstanding cases is the submission of the required documentation by GES.
Once the necessary forms and promotion or upgrading letters are received, CAGD can validate the cases and process the applicable salary adjustments and arrears. The Department has assured teachers that legitimate payments will be processed after the required documents are submitted and validated.
The Education Ministry's September 28 update also indicates that additional information was being prepared for CAGD, suggesting that the administrative process was still moving forward while discussions with the unions continued.
| Stage | Responsible process |
|---|---|
| 1 | GES initiates and effects the promotion through HRMIS. |
| 2 | Required promotion documentation is prepared. |
| 3 | GES submits the required documents to CAGD. |
| 4 | CAGD validates the promotion documentation. |
| 5 | The validated salary adjustment and applicable arrears are processed through IPPD2. |
Teachers who were among the 6,079 cases submitted to CAGD with the required documentation have been told by the Department that their promotion-related salary adjustments and applicable arrears were processed and paid in the September 2026 salaries.
Teachers whose cases fall within the wider expected figure but have not yet been processed should understand that CAGD says the outstanding cases require additional documentation from GES before payroll processing can be completed.
The latest Ministry of Education update indicates that GES is expected to continue providing data to CAGD so that the remaining eligible cases can be processed.
For teachers checking their September salary payments, the most useful first step is to review their payslip and confirm whether the relevant salary adjustment and arrears have been reflected. Where a teacher believes their case should have been included but has not been processed, the matter may need to be followed up through the appropriate GES administrative channels.
Promotion is an important part of the career structure for teachers because it affects their grade and corresponding salary placement. When a promotion has been completed but the related salary adjustment or arrears has not yet been reflected, the delay can become a significant employment issue.
The present dispute also demonstrates how different institutions contribute to the public-sector payroll process. GES manages the employer-side promotion process through HRMIS, while CAGD manages the payroll processing through IPPD2 after receiving and validating the required documentation.
Understanding this distinction is useful because it prevents the different stages of promotion and payment from being treated as though they are handled by one institution alone.
It also explains why CAGD's latest statement focuses heavily on the documents it says must be supplied by GES before an outstanding case can enter the payroll processing stage.
The teacher promotion issue is unfolding at the same time as several other developments affecting Ghana's education sector.
For example, 247 World Reports recently published Haruna Iddrisu Calls for More Education Investment in Foundational Learning, which examines the Education Minister's comments about the balance of investment between different levels of education.
Other Related Post: GES Orders SHS and SHTS Heads to Refund Unauthorised Fees Collected From Parents
These developments are separate from the teachers' promotion dispute, but they form part of the wider education environment in which teachers, students and families are currently operating.
The immediate focus is now on the documentation and payroll processing for the outstanding promotion cases.
CAGD has said it will process legitimate cases once the necessary documentation has been submitted and validated. The Education Ministry has also indicated that additional data from GES is being submitted to facilitate the processing of outstanding payments.
The Education Minister's September 28 update further indicates that the government expects outstanding promotion arrears to begin being paid from October 2026.
However, the available statements do not establish that every one of the 52,541 cases represented by the numerical gap will be processed on the same date. The timing of individual payments will depend on the submission and validation of the relevant documentation.
CAGD has clarified that it has fully processed and paid all 6,079 teacher promotion cases submitted by the Ghana Education Service with the required documentation as of September 22, 2026.
Those payments, including applicable promotion arrears effective from January 1, 2026, were included in the September 2026 salaries.
At the same time, CAGD says GES was expected to submit documentation covering 58,620 cases, meaning that 52,541 cases had not yet reached CAGD with the required documentation as of the date specified in the statement.
The latest position therefore points to an ongoing administrative process rather than a final declaration that all outstanding promotion arrears have been paid.
Further data is being submitted by GES, and the Education Ministry has said outstanding promotion arrears are expected to be paid from October 2026.
Teachers affected by the outstanding cases should therefore follow official updates and check their payslips as the process continues, while GES and CAGD complete the documentation and validation required for the remaining eligible payments.
247 World Reports publishes education news and information for general informational purposes. The figures and explanations in this article are based on statements and reports available as of September 28, 2026. Payroll processing, promotion documentation, payment dates and other employment-related details may change as GES, CAGD, the Ministry of Education and teacher representatives continue their discussions. Teachers should rely on official communications and their authorised administrative channels for confirmation of their individual cases and payment status.
Ghana Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD):
https://cagd.gov.gh/
MyJoyOnline: CAGD explanation of the delay in processing teachers' promotion arrears.
3News: CAGD report on the 6,079 submitted and 58,620 expected teacher promotion cases.
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