Education policy think tank Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch) has called for an urgent resolution of Ghana’s ongoing nationwide strike by pre-tertiary teacher unions, while also urging the government to reform the systems used to manage teacher promotions, payroll matters and collective bargaining.
The call comes as the industrial action continues to disrupt teaching and learning in public pre-tertiary schools. The strike began on September 25, 2026, after the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG) declared industrial action over unresolved concerns affecting their members.
In a statement issued on October 7, Eduwatch said the continued disruption was denying pupils valuable instructional time and could affect learning outcomes. The organisation also warned that vulnerable children who depend heavily on public schools for education and services such as school feeding could be particularly affected.
Eduwatch has 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 reach a time-bound agreement to end the strike.
The organisation said the interests of learners must remain central to the discussions because every additional day of disruption means further loss of classroom time.
Eduwatch also wants the GES and CAGD to act on the outstanding issues affecting promoted teachers, particularly the payment of salaries and other compensation due to them.
The call for an urgent settlement comes after the latest meeting between the FWSC and the three teacher unions ended without an agreement. The parties were expected to continue discussions after further consultations by the commission.
The strike is linked to several outstanding matters raised by the teacher unions.
One of the major concerns is the placement of teachers who have been promoted on their appropriate salary grades and the payment of related arrears.
The unions have also raised concerns about the delay in concluding a new Collective Agreement after the previous agreement expired.
Another issue is the implementation of the Deprived Area Allowance for teachers working in underserved communities.
These concerns have remained at the centre of negotiations between the unions and government institutions since the industrial action began.
| Key issue | What it concerns |
|---|---|
| Promotion placement | Placement of promoted teachers on the appropriate salary grades. |
| Promotion arrears | Payment of outstanding financial benefits linked to promotions. |
| Collective Agreement | Conclusion of negotiations on a new agreement covering teachers’ conditions of service. |
| Deprived Area Allowance | Implementation of the allowance for teachers working in underserved areas. |
Beyond the immediate strike, Eduwatch has raised concerns about the way negotiations over teachers’ conditions of service are handled.
The organisation noted that the existing Collective Agreement was due to expire in June 2026, while the teacher unions had indicated that proposals for its review were submitted several months before the expiry date.
Eduwatch questioned why meaningful negotiations were not concluded before the agreement expired, arguing that industrial action should not be what creates greater urgency around negotiations.
It is therefore calling for collective bargaining to begin sufficiently early, with clear timelines and milestones for reaching an agreement.
According to Eduwatch, stronger institutional accountability is also needed so that administrative and negotiation delays do not repeatedly develop into disputes that disrupt teaching and learning.
Eduwatch says the current dispute has also exposed wider weaknesses in the management of Ghana’s teaching workforce.
One of its main recommendations is the digitisation of processes between the Ghana Education Service and the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department.
The organisation believes improved digital processes could help make teacher promotion and payroll-related procedures more efficient, predictable and transparent.
Eduwatch has also proposed greater decentralisation of teacher promotion processes.
Under its proposal, Regional Education Directorates would take greater responsibility for the assessment, verification and routine processing of teacher promotions, while the GES Council would maintain national oversight and approve recommendations.
The proposal is intended to reduce bottlenecks created by a highly centralised promotion process, particularly when large numbers of teachers are being processed at the same time.
The issue of promotion placement has also featured prominently in the government’s response to the strike.
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu said the government would honour its commitment to place promoted teachers on their new grades on or before October 30, 2026.
The minister also said the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department was validating data relating to affected teachers and that a supplementary payment schedule would be provided for some categories.
However, the unions have continued to demand action on the outstanding issues, and the latest FWSC meeting did not produce a final agreement.
This means the strike remains an unresolved national education issue as of October 7, 2026.
Related: Teachers’ Promotion Arrears: CAGD Says 6,079 Cases Paid as 58,620 Are Expected
The immediate concern arising from the strike is the disruption of classroom instruction.
Eduwatch has warned that prolonged disruption could affect learning outcomes because pupils are losing valuable instructional time.
The organisation has also highlighted the situation of vulnerable children who depend on public schools not only for lessons but also for services such as school feeding.
The impact of lost instructional time can be particularly important for pupils who have limited opportunities to receive additional academic support outside school.
For this reason, Eduwatch says resolving the dispute should include measures to restore lost instructional time once normal teaching resumes.
The significance of Eduwatch’s recommendations goes beyond the current strike.
If teacher promotion, payroll placement and collective bargaining continue to experience lengthy delays, similar disputes could emerge again in the future.
Starting negotiations earlier could give government and teacher representatives more time to consider proposals before an existing agreement expires.
Greater use of digital systems could also improve the movement and verification of information between institutions involved in teacher management.
Meanwhile, giving Regional Education Directorates greater responsibility for routine promotion processes could help reduce the pressure on central administrative structures.
These reforms, however, would require proper implementation, oversight and accountability if they are to produce the improvements Eduwatch is seeking.
The immediate focus remains on negotiations between the government and the three teacher unions.
The October 6 meeting between the FWSC and the unions ended inconclusively, with the commission indicating that further consultations were needed before negotiations could resume.
Until an agreement is reached, the dispute remains a major concern for Ghana’s pre-tertiary education system.
Eduwatch is therefore urging all parties to move quickly towards a settlement while also addressing the administrative weaknesses that contributed to the current situation.
The organisation’s position is that resolving the present strike and improving the systems that manage teachers should be treated as connected priorities.
Teachers’ Strike Continues as FWSC, GES and Unions End Talks Without Agreement - VideoEduwatch has called for an urgent end to the ongoing teachers’ strike, warning that continued disruption is costing pupils valuable instructional time.
At the same time, the education policy organisation wants the government to address the broader issues behind the dispute, including delays in teacher promotion and payroll processes and the way collective bargaining is conducted.
Its recommendations include digitising processes between GES and CAGD, giving Regional Education Directorates a greater role in teacher promotion and beginning negotiations on collective agreements well before existing agreements expire.
With the latest negotiations still unresolved, the priority remains finding a settlement that allows teachers to return to the classroom while providing a more reliable system for handling similar issues in the future.
Related: Haruna Iddrisu Calls for More Education Investment in Foundational Learning
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