TThe teacher unions have insisted that their ongoing strike will continue until the government takes concrete steps to address their concerns, including the payment of outstanding arrears, promotion issues, the 20 percent deprived area allowance and the collective agreement.
The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG) say they are no longer prepared to rely on promises and want to see evidence of action before returning to the classroom.
Speaking after a meeting on Monday, September 28, 2026 with the Education Minister and his team as part of government’s efforts to resolve the strike, Head of Salaries at NAGRAT, Isaac Baah, said the unions are demanding concrete action from government.
“Where we have reached at the moment, we are not taking promises. We want action.”
He said teachers would remain at home until their salaries and outstanding arrears are reflected on their payslips and credited to their accounts.
“Our teachers must continue to stay home until we see something concrete, until we see the salary, the arrears reflecting on our payslips and crediting our accounts. Until we see that, we are not going back to school.”
Mr Baah added that the unions would continue the strike until all their concerns are addressed and resolved.
Meanwhile, Vice President of PRETAG, Adukwei Ayikwei Awuley, said the meeting with government had not produced any concrete agreement on the three major issues raised by the unions.
He mentioned the issues as the promotion of teachers, the 20 percent deprived area allowance and the collective agreement.
According to him, government has provided new timelines for the promotion of some teachers, but there has been no progress on the deprived area allowance.
He said negotiations on the collective agreement are expected to resume on Tuesday.
“There’s no concrete agreement on the table. So, we are still striking unabated.”
Mr Awuley said the unions would return to their various councils to discuss the outcome of the meeting before taking further decisions.
He also demanded written evidence to support government’s assurance that the 20 percent deprived area allowance would begin in January 2027.
“What has been put on paper to show that they will start paying the deprived area allowance by 2027? We want to see it. We want to see something documented.”
On the collective agreement, Mr Awuley said the existing agreement had expired and some allowances expected to be paid in September had not been addressed.
He said the unions expect government to provide a clear timeline when negotiations resume on Tuesday.
Mr Awuley explained that if the timeline is documented and the unions are satisfied with the progress of negotiations, they could consider returning to the classroom.
“It is not just by word of mouth; it is something that we have to see, something concrete.”
