Ghana Teacher Prize 2026: Abigail Agyeiwaa wins top honour as government urges striking teachers to return to classrooms

The 2026 Ghana Teacher Prize has ended with English teacher Abigail Agyeiwaa of Mangoase Senior High School emerging as Ghana’s Most Outstanding Teacher, as government used the national celebration to reassure educators over outstanding concerns while urging striking teacher unions to reconsider their industrial action.

The Ghana Teacher Prize 2026 grand durbar was held on Monday, October 5, 2026, at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), under the theme “Empowering Teachers: Architects of the Future.” The ceremony, organised by the National Teaching Council (NTC) under the Ministry of Education, brought together teachers, education officials, government representatives and other stakeholders to celebrate excellence in the teaching profession.

Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang attended the ceremony as the special guest of honour, while Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu also addressed the gathering.

But this year’s celebration carried an added significance. Ghana’s three major pre-tertiary teacher unions — the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and Pre-Tertiary Education Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG) — remain on a nationwide strike that began on September 25 over unresolved concerns including promotion-related payments, conditions of service and the proposed 20 per cent deprived-area allowance.

Against that backdrop, the ceremony became both a celebration of outstanding educators and a platform for government to renew its appeal for an end to the strike.

Abigail Agyeiwaa named Ghana’s Most Outstanding Teacher

The biggest award of the day went to Abigail Agyeiwaa, an English teacher at Mangoase Senior High School in the Akuapem North Municipality.

The National Teaching Council’s award recognised her as the overall outstanding teacher for 2026, according to the Ghana News Agency’s report from the ceremony.

Her national recognition comes after an already notable year in which she was named the 2026 Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Awards regional winner for Sub-Saharan Africa. Cambridge University Press & Assessment selected her from more than 1,500 nominated teachers in the region for her contribution to education and the wellbeing of young people.

Agyeiwaa has also been recognised for work extending beyond her classroom responsibilities. She founded KAGAS Foundation Ghana, through which programmes in education, health and gender empowerment have been implemented across more than 20 rural communities in the Akuapem North Municipality, according to Cambridge’s account of her work

Her 2026 Ghana Teacher Prize comes with a three-bedroom house valued at GH¢700,000.

The recognition gives Agyeiwaa an unusual distinction in the same year: she has received major recognition both nationally in Ghana and regionally through Cambridge’s international teacher award programme.

Her Cambridge recognition earlier in 2026 had already placed Ghanaian teaching excellence in an international spotlight, following Ghanaian educator Portia Dzilah’s overall global win in the previous year’s Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Awards

2026 Ghana Teacher Prize focuses on teachers as future-builders

The theme of this year’s Ghana Teacher Prize — “Empowering Teachers: Architects of the Future” — was particularly relevant to the messages delivered at Monday’s ceremony.

The NTC’s official Ghana Teacher Prize platform says the awards are designed to recognise educators who demonstrate excellence not only in classroom teaching but also through innovation, professional development, community service, learning outcomes and contributions to the teaching profession. Ghana Teacher Prize

The 2026 award structure covered several areas of the education profession, including the Teaching Category, Teacher in Administration and Leadership, Non-Teaching, Best College Lecturer and Private School Teacher categories. The official criteria also place emphasis on innovation, technology, professional competence, community contribution and role modelling.

This broader approach means that the Ghana Teacher Prize is not simply a competition based on classroom teaching. It is intended to recognise different forms of contribution to Ghana’s education system.

The NTC says, for example, that the main teaching category considers achievements inside and outside the classroom, differentiated learning, innovation and creativity, demonstrable learning outcomes, value-based education, community achievements, professional competence and personality factors.

Vice President calls for an education system that can adapt to AI

Delivering the government’s message at the ceremony, Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang said Ghana’s education system must respond to the rapid changes being brought about by artificial intelligence, digital technology and the changing labour market.

She said the changing world of work required teachers to receive appropriate professional support and access to resources that would enable them to prepare learners for emerging opportunities and demands.

“Government would therefore continue to invest in teacher education, in-service training and digital resources to equip teachers with the knowledge and skills required to prepare young people for the changing world,” she said. Ghana National Association

The Vice President’s message places teachers at the centre of the country’s response to technological and economic change.

Rather than treating technology as a replacement for teachers, the emphasis was on ensuring educators themselves have the skills and resources to use new technologies effectively in teaching and learning.

A separate report on her remarks noted that she described teachers as carrying a responsibility that must be matched with adequate institutional and practical support. The government, she said, was investing in school infrastructure and educational resources, while the Teacher Dabrɛ Initiative was intended to improve accommodation for teachers, particularly those serving underserved communities.

Teacher Dabrɛ and other welfare issues remain on the agenda

Teacher welfare featured prominently in the government’s message.

The Vice President said work was continuing on challenges affecting teacher placement, promotion and remuneration. She also pointed to progress in the government’s effort to reduce the use of the double-track system, saying 99 double-track schools had been converted to single-track institutions.

She also explained that the removal of the connection between teacher promotion and the availability of administrative vacancies had allowed eligible teachers to progress through their professional ranks without having to wait for vacancies.

However, she acknowledged that the change had resulted in more cases requiring validation and processing, with measures being taken to address delays and outstanding entitlements.

The Teacher Dabrɛ Initiative also featured in the discussion of teacher welfare. Government had previously announced the construction of teacher accommodation as part of efforts to improve living conditions and support the retention of teachers in rural and underserved areas. The initiative was included in the government’s education plans as a teacher-welfare intervention.

Education Minister renews appeal to striking teachers

For teachers who remained on strike, however, the most immediate issue was not the awards but whether the government and their unions could resolve the outstanding disagreements.

Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu used the occasion to renew his appeal to the striking teachers to return to the classroom.

“May I renew my call to teachers that today is your day. As you celebrate your day today, be reminded that you’re the architects of your future. A strike action can disrupt that future. You must consider calling off the strike action and restoring normalcy,” he said.

The appeal came as government continued negotiations with GNAT, NAGRAT and PRETAG.

The Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) is scheduled to meet the leadership of the three unions on Tuesday, October 6, to negotiate their expired conditions of service, according to the Education Minister.

That meeting is therefore expected to be an important next step in attempts to resolve the dispute.

The unions’ strike began on September 25 after their concerns remained unresolved. Among the issues raised are the automatic placement of teachers who have been promoted, outstanding promotion-related payments, negotiations over an expired collective agreement and implementation of the deprived-area allowance.

Government says more than 51,000 teachers are affected by promotion arrears

The Education Minister also provided an update on the promotion arrears that have become one of the major issues in the dispute.

According to Mr Iddrisu, government has committed resources towards clearing the outstanding arrears and the Ghana Education Service, together with relevant institutions, has been tasked to validate the records of teachers who have been promoted but have not received their new salary grades and associated arrears.

He said the exercise was expected to cover more than 51,000 teachers.

The Minister had also previously pledged that teachers’ promotion arrears dating from January 2026 would be settled by October 30, 2026.

“If by October 30, 2026, your promotion arrears are not paid, then I will have no honour,” Mr Iddrisu said in an earlier engagement with teachers ahead of the grand durbar.

The October 30 commitment has therefore become one of the key dates for teachers affected by the promotion-payment dispute.

Government promises action on deprived-area allowance

Another major issue in the strike is the proposed allowance for teachers serving in deprived areas.

Mr Iddrisu reiterated government’s commitment to fulfilling its manifesto pledge on the deprived-area allowance.

He explained that discussions were continuing to validate data on deprived schools and communities to establish which teachers and locations would qualify before implementation begins.

A report by Citi Newsroom said the Education Minister indicated that the 20 per cent deprived-area allowance would be paid after validation of eligible teachers.

The allowance is intended to address the difficulties associated with attracting and retaining teachers in underserved communities.

Earlier in August, when the 2026 Ghana Teacher Prize was launched, the Education Ministry had announced that government was finalising arrangements for a 20 per cent incentive allowance for teachers in deprived communities. The Teacher Housing Initiative was also presented as part of efforts to improve conditions for educators serving in rural and deprived areas.

GNAT calls for stronger teacher empowerment

The concerns raised by the teacher unions were also reflected in remarks by GNAT President Prosper Tachie at the Teacher Prize ceremony.

Mr Tachie called for teachers to be empowered in three key areas: legal authority, professional confidence and economic security.

He argued that teachers needed the authority to perform their professional responsibilities, including maintaining discipline in schools, while also requiring the confidence and financial security necessary to meet their basic needs.

He also called for greater involvement of teachers in education policy formulation.

His position was that teachers’ experiences at classroom level should have a stronger influence on decisions affecting education.

That message adds another dimension to the current dispute: beyond the immediate questions of arrears and allowances, teacher representatives are calling for greater recognition of the professional voice of educators in decisions affecting the sector.

Government also highlights digital transformation

The emphasis on artificial intelligence and digital technology was another major feature of this year’s ceremony.

The Vice President said the rapid development of AI and digital technologies, together with changes in labour markets, meant that Ghana’s education system could not remain static.

The government’s response, according to her, would include continued investment in teacher education, in-service training and digital resources.

This message is closely connected to the selection criteria of the Ghana Teacher Prize itself.

The NTC’s official criteria specifically consider innovation and creativity, including the use of technology, when assessing teachers. The criteria also consider how educators respond to changing educational environments and demonstrate problem-solving abilities.

The 2026 award therefore placed professional recognition alongside a broader question about what Ghana expects from teachers in an education system increasingly influenced by technology.

Other Ghana Teacher Prize categories

The 2026 Ghana Teacher Prize is broader than the overall national teacher award.

The official NTC platform lists Teaching, Teacher in Administration and Leadership, Non-Teaching, Best College Lecturer and Private School Teacher as the main categories for this year’s programme. Ghana Teacher Prize

The Teaching Category is open to licensed teachers working at the pre-tertiary level in both public and private institutions, while the Administration and Leadership category covers professionally trained and licensed educators working in administrative roles such as education directors, managers of educational units, School Improvement Support Officers and heads of schools. Ghana Teacher Prize

The Non-Teaching category recognises staff working in pre-tertiary educational institutions, with criteria covering efficiency, professional competence, commitment, community service and innovation.

The Best College Lecturer category recognises professionally trained lecturers in teacher education institutions, while the Private School Teacher category provides recognition for licensed teachers working in private pre-tertiary institutions. Ghana Teacher Prize

While reports published immediately after Monday’s grand durbar have confirmed the overall national winner, Abigail Agyeiwaa, and the major messages delivered by government and teacher representatives, a complete verified list of all category and regional winners was not available across the major reports reviewed at the time of publication. It would therefore be inappropriate to publish names or prize packages for other categories without an official confirmation.

A national celebration during an unsettled moment

The 2026 Ghana Teacher Prize has consequently taken place at an unusual moment for the country’s education sector.

On one side was the celebration of teachers who have distinguished themselves through professional commitment, innovation and service. On the other was an unresolved labour dispute that has kept many pre-tertiary teachers away from classrooms since September 25.

The government’s message was that both recognition and practical support are necessary.

Professor Opoku-Agyemang said addressing the challenges confronting teachers was critical to strengthening Ghana’s education system, while also urging educators to uphold professional and ethical standards under the National Teachers’ Standards, the Ghana Education Service Code of Conduct and the professional standards of the National Teaching Council. Ghana National Association

Mr Iddrisu, meanwhile, said government was committed to resolving the outstanding grievances and called on teachers to return to work as negotiations continued. CitiNewsroom.com

For teachers, the coming days will therefore be closely watched.

The next major development is the expected October 6 engagement between the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission and the three striking unions over their expired conditions of service. The October 30 commitment on promotion arrears is another key date for affected educators.

The Ghana Teacher Prize 2026 has celebrated Abigail Agyeiwaa as the country’s outstanding teacher, but the wider message from the ceremony is equally important: recognising teachers as “architects of the future” must be accompanied by the professional development, resources, welfare measures and working conditions required for them to perform that role.