The Ghana Education Service (GES) is racing against time to fix payment delays affecting nearly 60,000 teachers and get them back to work. Daniel Fenyi, head of public relations at GES, said officials are working around the clock at the service’s headquarters to clear outstanding documentation needed by the Controller and Accountant General’s Department.
The delays stem from missing input forms that the Controller’s office says are essential for processing payments. Fenyi explained the Education Ministry has directed GES to cooperate closely with the Controller’s office to submit these forms. “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 told Joy News’ PM Express on Monday. “They believe that we should still work on the input form and provide them.”
The payment issues affect both teaching and non-teaching staff, but Fenyi put the number of teachers at about 59,000 to 60,000. The Education Minister recently met teacher unions to assure them the government is addressing their concerns. “The Education Minister met them today and gave them all the assurances,” Fenyi said.
He rejected any suggestion of blame between government agencies, urging focus instead on solving the problem quickly. “I would very much hesitate to start blame games,” Fenyi said. “The ultimate issue is that at this point we should be less about the blame games. Teachers need their money.”
GES officials remain at the headquarters, working late to meet the revised deadline. Fenyi promised “good news by close of day tomorrow” and said the service has already met several deadlines under pressure. “Definitely, my brother. In fact, we have met a couple of deadlines. We have worked under pressure,” he said.
The service is determined to prioritise teachers’ welfare and avoid disruption to the academic calendar. Fenyi noted that the calendar has been stabilised, and GES wants to keep it that way. “Don’t forget, also I mentioned that we have stabilized the calendar is a is a is a good step for the Ghana Education Service, and we wouldn’t want to disrupt that calendar.”
The delays have caused anxiety among teachers, many of whom rely on their salaries to cover daily expenses. The government’s focus on resolving the documentation backlog and coordinating with the Controller’s office reflects the urgent need to restore normalcy in schools.
More than 80,000 staff members across teaching and non-teaching roles are involved in the payroll process, making the documentation task complex. But Fenyi’s remarks suggest GES is zeroing in on the paperwork to clear payments and get teachers back in the classroom as soon as possible.
Whether the deadlines will hold remains to be seen, but the GES is clearly under pressure to deliver. Teachers and students alike await the outcome as the academic calendar ticks on, with little room for further delays.
According to Joy Online.
