Striking Teacher Unions Vow to Stay Out of Classrooms Until October 5 Over Unresolved Demands
Pre-tertiary teachers across Ghana will remain out of the classroom until at least Monday, October 5, 2026, as three major teacher unions insist on concrete evidence of payment before calling off their ongoing industrial action.
The nationwide strike, which commenced on Friday, September 25, 2026, was declared by the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and the Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG). The action stems from the government’s failure to resolve longstanding compensation concerns, including delays in negotiating a new Collective Agreement, non-implementation of the Deprived Area Allowance, and failures to automatically place newly promoted teachers on appropriate salary scales with arrears effective January 2026.
Government Intervention and the October 5 Deadline
Following emergency negotiations between government officials and labour leaders, the Ghana Education Service (GES) announced a Monday, October 5, 2026 deadline to submit and validate missing data required to settle the salary and promotion disputes. Government representatives, including the Minister for Employment and Labour and the Minister for Education, urged the unions to call off the strike, assuring them that administrative steps are underway to correct promotion-related salary issues alongside validation frameworks for the twenty percent rural deprived area allowance.
Despite these assurances, the leadership of the striking unions remains adamant, citing a history of unfulfilled promises. Speaking on behalf of the labour front, the Head of Salaries at GNAT, Isaac Nii Baah, maintained that teachers would not accept verbal commitments. Union representatives have explicitly instructed members to stay at home until the adjustments physically reflect on pay slips and bank accounts.
Impact on Teaching, Learning, and the Academic Calendar
The ongoing industrial action has heavily disrupted academic activities in pre-tertiary institutions nationwide, leaving students stranded as the 2026/2027 academic year gets underway. According to the official academic calendar for Senior High Schools, instruction for single-track and transitional forms commenced on September 18, 2026. However, the absence of teachers in classrooms threatens to derail foundational instructional hours mapped out for the first semester, which runs through January 2027 for single-track senior high schools.
Education stakeholders have expressed deep concern that prolonged absenteeism could compress critical teaching contact hours, jeopardising syllabus coverage ahead of major national assessments such as the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). With the GES racing against the October 5 deadline to clean up payroll data with the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department, parents and students are left watching closely to see whether the talks will yield a breakthrough to restore normalcy to schools.
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