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Continuous picketing by Colleges of Education-trained graduate teachers over unpaid salaries suspended
Continuous picketing by Colleges of Education-trained graduate teachers over unpaid salaries suspended
By: Nii Ammui Fio | 3 mins read
Graduate teachers from the 2022 batch of Colleges of Education, who have been picketing the premises of the Ghana Education Service (GES) in protest over months of unpaid salaries, have announced a suspension of their strike action.
The decision follows fresh assurances from the GES that the outstanding payments will be made by the end of July. According to the teachers, this pledge, delivered through an official communiqué, has influenced their decision to put their protest on hold.
Speaking to the media, the group’s spokesperson, Eric Darfuor, said, “The PRO said there has been an official communiqué from GES, so we have suspended our picketing for now, and we are hoping to receive our salaries by the end of July. The PRO said they are at the final stage of resolving our issue, so very soon we will receive our salary.”
He added that while they have agreed to step back for now, the group remains vigilant: “So we are waiting and waiting for the very soon, by the end of July, so when the time is due, and we do not hear anything from them, we will come back again stronger.”
The teachers had previously intensified their protests on Monday, June 23, with over 100 of them storming the GES headquarters in Accra. What was meant to be a peaceful demonstration became chaotic, drawing police presence. Yet, the teachers stood their ground and insisted on pressing forward with their demands.
One protest leader declared, “We’ll be here overnight so that by morning, we can go to the Finance Ministry and then proceed to Parliament.”
“When MPs arrive, we’ll let them know what the government is putting us through. All we ask is for our staff IDs and the money owed to us,” he emphasized.
In response to the unrest, the Ghana Education Service issued a statement on Tuesday, June 24, acknowledging the teachers' grievances and outlining steps being taken to address the matter. Public Relations Officer Daniel Fenyi explained that the delay in salary payments stems from the expiration of financial clearance for some recruits.
Out of the 12,807 graduates recruited in 2023, about 2,113 have been affected by these delays. The GES pointed to inconsistencies such as incorrect Ghana Card information, SSNIT mismatches, and unauthorized repostings as contributing factors.
To address the issue, GES noted that it had formally requested the Ministry of Finance to extend the expired financial clearance, paving the way for the issuance of staff IDs and subsequent payment of outstanding salaries.
Additionally, “The present GES Management, upon assuming office, immediately undertook a nationwide staff validation exercise from 7th–14th March 2025 to confirm the genuinely recruited teachers and clean up recruitment anomalies,” the release stated.
GES also confirmed the formation of a technical committee to rectify the errors and appealed for calm as the matter is being resolved.
“It is important to note that significant progress has already been made. The Service assures all affected staff that every effort is being made to rectify the situation and ensure that all genuinely recruited teachers receive their due remuneration,” the statement concluded.
