We've requested extension of now-expired financial clearance from Finance Ministry to pay you — GES tells picketing teachers

The Ghana Education Service (GES) says decisive steps are being taken to address the grievances of newly posted teachers who staged a protest on Monday, June 23, over unpaid salaries and delayed staff identification numbers.

In a statement issued after the demonstration, GES confirmed that the Ministry of Education has formally requested an extension of the now-expired financial clearance from the Ministry of Finance. This move is expected to pave the way for the processing of nearly ten months of outstanding salary arrears and the issuance of staff IDs to the affected cohort.

According to the GES, out of the 12,807 teachers posted in 2024, a total of 2,113 have not received salaries despite having staff IDs. Another 582 are yet to be issued IDs due to issues ranging from mismatched Ghana Card and SSNIT details to irregularities such as self-reposting.

In response to the crisis, the GES has constituted a technical committee that includes representatives from the group of aggrieved teachers. The committee's mandate is to streamline communication and ensure transparency as the Service works to resolve the matter.

The Service linked the delay in rectifying the issues to findings from a nationwide staff validation exercise carried out in March 2025, which uncovered several anomalies in the recruitment and onboarding process.

GES Public Relations Officer, Daniel Fenyi, appealed for calm and understanding, urging affected teachers to exercise patience as efforts continue behind the scenes.

“Significant progress has already been made,” the statement assured, stressing that GES is committed not just to resolving the current impasse, but also to implementing structural reforms to prevent similar challenges in the future.

GES further acknowledged difficulties in stakeholder engagement, noting frequent changes in leadership among teacher advocacy groups. The Service called for more stable and unified representation to support swift resolution and avoid unnecessary bureaucratic delays.

Additionally, the statement confirmed that funds have been earmarked in the 2025 national budget to address payments owed to the affected teachers, signaling a concrete financial commitment from government to resolve the issue once and for all.