The Ghana Education Service (GES) is pushing to process the details of promoted teachers electronically, but the final decision lies with the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD). Director-General Prof Ernest Kofi Davis said the GES only facilitates the promotion process and does not control how payment information is handled.
“That is my wish, but the answer is the Controller’s. That is outside our remit. We don’t pay. We only facilitate the process. So the decision is the Controller’s. But that is my wish,” Prof Davis said as officials worked to prepare the data for submission.
The agency faces a Monday 4 p.m. deadline to submit the records of thousands of promoted teachers to the CAGD. Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu set the deadline amid ongoing nationwide strike action by pre-tertiary teacher unions. The unions’ grievances include delayed promotion placements and unpaid arrears.
Prof Davis acknowledged the current reliance on paper records, pointing to piles of documents as evidence of inefficiency. “You can see the stash of papers around. You get bags in the 21st century. I don’t know whether that is the way we want to go, but the decision is the Controller’s,” he said.
When asked if moving to an electronic system was feasible, Prof Davis said it was possible but reiterated the decision was not within GES’s authority. “It should be possible, but then as I said, the decision is the Controller’s. But I wish we could go to the system,” he added.
The ongoing strike by Ghana’s pre-tertiary teacher unions began over delayed promotions and unpaid salary arrears. The government has made efforts to resolve the issues, including the set deadline for submitting promotion data. The GES’s role is limited to compiling and forwarding the records.
The GES and CAGD have not publicly indicated whether they will shift to electronic processing beyond Prof Davis’s expressed preference. The strike continues to impact the education sector, with thousands of teachers demanding clearer timelines and payment assurances.
The paper-heavy promotion process contrasts with other sectors moving toward digital record-keeping. The outcome of the Controller’s decision on this matter remains pending as the Monday deadline approaches.
According to Joy Online.
