Members of the Minority Caucus Committee on Employment, Labour Relations and Pensions have backed the concerns raised by teacher unions over unresolved conditions of service, warning that continued disputes could further affect teaching and learning in Ghana.
The Minority’s comments follow an urgent notice issued by the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG) over outstanding issues involving teachers’ promotions, arrears, the renewal of their Collective Agreement and the payment of the Deprived Area Allowance.
In a notice dated September 22, 2026, the unions gave the government until midday on Thursday, September 24, to address the outstanding issues, warning that they could no longer restrain teachers from taking action if the concerns remained unresolved.
The Minority Caucus Committee said the grievances raised by the unions centre on three key areas: delays in negotiating a new Collective Agreement, failure to automatically place teachers who have successfully completed promotion examinations on their appropriate grades, and what it described as the non-implementation of the Deprived Area Allowance.
According to the Minority, these issues relate to conditions that have already been agreed upon between the government and teacher unions.
The statement, signed by Frank Asiedu Bekoe, MP for Suhum Constituency and Deputy Ranking Member of the Committee on Employment, Labour Relations and Pensions, further argued that the dispute should be viewed in the context of concerns over educational outcomes, particularly reports surrounding the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
Recent reports indicate that about 50,000 BECE candidates did not meet the requirements for placement into senior high and technical schools, although education stakeholders have cautioned against attributing the outcome solely to teachers.
The Ghana National Association of Teachers has also called for shared responsibility in addressing the reported performance, pointing to factors including parental supervision, learning conditions, infrastructure, staffing, and students’ commitment.
The Minority, however, maintained that teacher motivation remains an important factor in improving learning outcomes.
“A demotivated teacher cannot produce an excellent student,” the Caucus said, arguing that challenges affecting teachers could have consequences for students and the wider education system.
The Caucus also criticised the government over what it described as delays in implementing agreements concerning teachers’ promotion and allowances.
The concerns come after an August 31 meeting between the Education Ministry and teacher unions, at which the government assured the unions that teachers who had successfully completed promotion examinations would be placed on their appropriate grades by the end of September. The agreement also provided that the effective date for substantive appointments would be January 2026 and that placement would be automatic.
The Minority is now calling on the government to take immediate steps to address the outstanding matters.
It has called for the government to engage the teacher unions and conclude negotiations on a new Collective Agreement, instruct the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) to place all promoted teachers and pay their arrears from January 2026, and implement the 20% Deprived Area Allowance for teachers working in hard-to-reach communities.
The Caucus said the government must prioritise issues affecting classrooms and teachers to prevent further disruption to education.
“If we lose our teachers, we lose our nation,” the statement said.
