The academic year is set to begin amid growing tension, as the Coalition of Unpaid Teachers has issued a final ultimatum to the government, threatening mass demonstrations and legal action over prolonged salary arrears.
Despite several protests held throughout 2025, the Coalition says more than 6,000 teachers nationwide remain unpaid, with many facing what it describes as “abject poverty” due to administrative delays and the failure of the Ghana Education Service (GES) to issue Staff Identification Cards.
According to the group, many affected teachers have been at post for between 12 and 15 months but have received payment for only two months of work.
Speaking in an interview with Citi FM on Sunday, January 4, the Coalition’s Lead Convenor, Simon Kofi Nartey, said the situation has taken a severe psychological and financial toll on teachers.
“We are calling on our employer and the government at large to listen to us and have our arrears paid so that we can have peace of mind to continue the good work we are doing for the country,” he said.
A major obstacle to payment, the Coalition says, is the non-issuance of Staff Identification Cards, which are required for teachers to be fully integrated into the mechanised payroll system. Without the IDs, affected teachers remain unable to receive their salaries.
Mr. Nartey warned that the opportunity for a peaceful resolution is rapidly closing, urging authorities to ensure that all outstanding Staff ID cards are issued before the January 2026 payroll is processed.
“The few remaining teachers yet to receive their staff IDs should get them before this month’s salary is paid, or we will be forced to return to the streets,” he warned.
In addition to planned protests, the Coalition says it is consulting legal experts with the intention of filing a lawsuit against the state. The group argues that the situation is arbitrary and discriminatory, noting that teachers recruited at the same time and posted to the same regions have experienced vastly different outcomes.
“Some of us started work with colleagues who have received their salaries in full, while others are still going through this ordeal. It is unfair, and it leaves us with no option but to seek legal redress,” Mr. Nartey said.
