The Ghana Education Service (GES) is racing against time to fix payment delays affecting roughly 60,000 teachers. The hold-up has raised fears about disrupting the academic calendar, but GES says it is working closely with finance authorities to avoid that.
Daniel Fenyi, GES’s head of public relations, said the focus is on getting teachers paid rather than pointing fingers. “I would very much hesitate to start blame games,” he said, adding firmly, “teachers need their money.”
The root of the problem lies in documentation. GES has been asked by the Controller and Accountant General’s Department to submit specific input forms and promotion letters before payments can be processed. Fenyi explained the 4pm deadline set by the Controller’s office was about getting these documents on time. “The 4 p.m. deadline was set because the controller made a case that the input forms are crucial in the line of their work,” he said.
The delay affects about 59,000 to 60,000 teaching staff. When including non-teaching staff, the total rises to over 80,000, Fenyi said. The education ministry has met with teacher unions to give assurances that the matter is being addressed.
“The minister has also mentioned that in case of the insistence on some input forms and documentation, GES should be able to provide,” Fenyi said.
GES believes payments could have been made automatically under the circumstances, but it is complying with the documentation requests. “Of course, we have met a couple of deadlines. We have worked under pressure,” Fenyi said.
Staff at GES headquarters are already working to meet the Monday 4pm deadline, which gives them a week from the time the issue surfaced to provide the required paperwork.
“We generally are approaching this with a very positive faith,” Fenyi said.
The GES is also concerned about the academic calendar, which it says has been stabilised and must not be disrupted. Fenyi stressed this point clearly: “Don’t forget, I also mentioned that we have stabilised the calendar. We wouldn’t want to disrupt that calendar.”
Teachers caught in the payment delay have faced weeks of uncertainty, even as schools continue to operate. The prompt resolution of their pay is critical not only for their welfare but also to maintain classroom stability.
Fenyi assured that GES will keep working “around the clock” to ensure teachers receive their money and can return fully focused to teaching.
The situation exposes the tight link between government payroll processes and frontline education delivery. While the exact reasons for the documentation hold-up have not been detailed publicly, the involvement of the Controller and Accountant General’s Department signals the importance of financial controls.
At this stage, both GES and the finance authorities are under pressure to resolve the issue swiftly to prevent any ripple effects on Ghana’s school calendar. The coming days will likely show whether the deadline can be met and teachers paid without further delay.
According to Joy Online.
