Teacher Unions Halt Demonstration Following Productive Talks with Education Minister

The leadership of Ghana’s pre-tertiary teacher unions has announced the suspension of their planned demonstration, originally set for Tuesday, October 1, in the Greater Accra Region.

This decision was made after a lengthy meeting on Monday, September 30, between union leaders, Education Minister Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, and representatives from the Ghana Education Service (GES) in Accra. The discussions aimed to address the unions’ concerns that prompted the initial decision to protest.

A key focus of the meeting was the allowances for teachers in deprived areas. Dr. Adutwum shared documents from the Ministry of Education indicating that preparations for these payments were in progress, pending data validation by the GES and approval from the Ministry of Finance.

The Minister also confirmed that the government had fulfilled its promise to increase the Professional Development Allowance (PDA) by 100%, with payments already processed in September.

Present at the meeting were representatives from the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT-GH), and GES management.

Following the meeting, union leaders advised their members to withdraw from the planned demonstration, assuring them that their grievances were being adequately addressed.

In a previous press release dated August 27, the unions highlighted several outstanding issues from the Collective Agreement signed on May 24, 2024. These included the initiation of negotiations on the Deprived Area Allowance within one month of signing the agreement and the resolution of promotions from Deputy Director (DD) to Director II (DII) and Director I (DI) by September 2024.

Additionally, the unions raised concerns regarding 12 months of unpaid arrears for Tier-2 pension deductions and ongoing issues with the Public Services Commission (PSC), such as delays in promotions, difficulties in reinstatement, and rank reductions.