The salaries of newly promoted teachers in Ghana remain unpaid amid a standoff between government departments, prompting the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) to call on President Mahama to intervene.
Thomas Musah Tanko, GNAT’s General Secretary, spoke on TV3’s Ghana Tonight on Monday, September 28, 2026. He said the delay in payment suggested that the responsible authorities were not serious about resolving the issue, despite ongoing talks with stakeholders.
“If the Education Minister has spoken and they are not listening to him, then the President would have to come in and start authorising the people who matter, so that Controller can listen and get it done, that is all,” Tanko said.
He added that GNAT had engaged with several offices but found no real willingness to solve the problem. “I can tell you on authority that we have been to many places and we have come to realise that they are not committed in getting this problem solved,” he said.
The delay follows changes introduced by the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department, which now require additional documentation before salary payments can be processed. Tanko explained that before this, the payment of salaries for promoted teachers happened automatically.
“Before this Controller came in, the thing was done automatically. So if you think that this time, there should be some kind of paradigm shift, fine, let this one go through, then we all sit down and get the transition done and everybody will be fine,” he said.
He criticised the insistence on new requirements and called for a direct order to the Controller and Accountant-General to release payments immediately. “Somebody should just instruct Controller to pay, that is all. This is not something difficult,” Tanko said.
On the same day, the Education Minister met with representatives of teacher unions and assured them that the government was working to resolve the concerns around the promotion process.
Daniel Fenyi, Head of Public Relations at the Ghana Education Service (GES), told JoyNews on Monday that a deadline had been set for submitting the outstanding documents needed for payment.
“The Honourable Minister met them today and gave them all the assurances. He also mentioned that in case of the insistence of some input forms and documentations, I think he gave us until 4pm on Monday, October 5 to provide the input forms and all other necessary documentation, i.e. the promotion letter,” Fenyi said.
The delay has left many promoted teachers still waiting for their new salaries, disrupting their financial plans. GNAT’s call for presidential intervention signals frustration with the slow progress despite official talks and deadlines.
What happens next will depend on whether the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department respond to government directives or maintain their new stance on documentation requirements. The coming week will be critical as the October 5 deadline arrives.
According to 3News.
