The government should pay striking teachers before spending on the GH¢2 billion Accra–Kumasi Expressway project, an MP has said. Dr Kingsley Agyemang, MP for Abuakwa South and a member of Parliament’s Education Committee, called on the government to settle outstanding payments to teachers amid their ongoing strike.
The strike by pre-tertiary teacher unions began over unpaid promotion-related benefits, the Collective Agreement, and Deprived Area Allowance. Speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story on Monday, September 28, Dr Agyemang said teachers deserve their wages without delay.
“I cannot pay teachers what is due them. I wish to re-emphasise that it has nothing to do with technicality. The teacher is deserving of his wage. They should pay them,” he said.
He questioned why teachers remain idle at home while the government commits large sums to infrastructure projects. He specifically referred to the reported GH¢2 billion allocation for the Accra–Kumasi Expressway.
“After all, they said they have available two billion cedis ready for Accra–Kumasi Expressway to be built. So are you saying that we should go and construct the roads while the teachers stay at home and our children are all… If the money is really at the Bank of Ghana, two billion, whatever. The teachers are not asking so much. They should even take it and give it to them,” Dr Agyemang said.
He urged the government to be transparent if financial difficulties prevent it from paying teachers. “If we’ve gotten to a point where they have to tell them what the truth is, they are broke, and that we can’t do much, let the teachers understand, as they have been very understanding all these years,” he said.
Dr Agyemang also pointed to a growing loss of trust among teachers after repeated government promises failed to deliver. “They say that the promises have become one too many. They have lost trust and confidence in the government. The government has deceived them several times. Therefore, they are not yielding,” he added.
He said the issue goes beyond the Education Ministry, which can only engage unions but does not control government finances. “It goes beyond the Ministry of Education. I mean, they, like you said, they can do all the engagement, and somebody keeps the purse. The person that keeps the purse should be ready and willing if the money is available,” Dr Agyemang said.
His comments come as teacher unions maintain their indefinite strike, demanding payments of long-outstanding entitlements. The government has yet to confirm the reported GH¢2 billion funding for the expressway or respond to calls to prioritise teachers’ pay.
Dr Agyemang’s call puts pressure on the government to address the strike’s root causes and clarify its financial priorities. With the strike affecting schools across the country, the unresolved conflict risks further disrupting education while infrastructure projects move forward.
According to Joy Online.
