The Upper East Regional leadership of three teacher unions has backed the continuation of the nationwide strike, insisting that teachers should not return to classrooms until their outstanding demands are addressed.
The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG) said delays in placing promoted teachers on their appropriate salary scales, the non-implementation of the Deprived Area Allowance and stalled negotiations on a new Collective Agreement remain unresolved.
The position was announced at a joint press conference in Bolgatanga addressed by Upper East Regional GNAT Secretary Lare Kitonname, PRETAG Regional Chairman Richard Sunday Yinbil and NAGRAT Regional Chairman John Akunzebe.
“We, the Upper East Regional branches of the GNAT, NAGRAT, and PRETAG, declare our unflinching support for the National Leadership of our mother unions and the industrial action declared on September 25, 2026,” the unions said.
The three unions began the nationwide strike on September 25 over the unresolved issues. Government has since held talks with their national leadership and appealed for the industrial action to be suspended while efforts are made to address their concerns.
The Upper East union leaders said an agreement had been reached among the Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service, Controller and Accountant-General’s Department and teacher unions concerning teachers who passed promotion aptitude tests in December 2025 and February 2026.
Under the arrangement, according to the unions, successful teachers were to be automatically placed on their respective salary scales, with arrears effective from January 2026.
They said the failure to fully implement the agreement had generated frustration among affected teachers.
The Controller and Accountant-General’s Department has said it received 6,079 out of an expected 58,620 promotion cases from the Ghana Education Service and had processed all valid cases submitted to it. It said the remaining cases would be processed after the necessary documentation had been received and validated.
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has also said the GES and Controller would work to update and validate the outstanding data, with adjustments expected to be processed subsequently.
The Upper East union leaders also raised concerns about the implementation of the Deprived Area Allowance.
They cited Section 17(2) of the 2024 Collective Agreement, which they said requires the Ministry of Education and GES to review the Deprived Area Report for implementation, after which the unions would negotiate the applicable figures with the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission.
“As of today, this has not been done, in utter disregard of this stipulation in the Collective Agreement,” they said.
The unions also referred to the proposed payment of 20 per cent of basic salary as an allowance for teachers serving in deprived and hard-to-reach areas.
Government has since said a validation committee would be established to examine data relating to the allowance, with implementation targeted for January 2027, subject to validation and an agreed roadmap.
The regional union leaders also said negotiations on a new Collective Agreement remained outstanding.
According to them, the existing agreement has expired and negotiations on its replacement should have been completed by June 2026.
“We have raised this concern with the FWSC several times, but as of today, the issue is still outstanding. This is a bother to the Teacher Unions,” the statement said.
The Upper East leadership of GNAT, NAGRAT and PRETAG therefore maintained that the nationwide industrial action should continue until the outstanding issues are resolved.
The Ghana Education Service has appealed to the unions to call off the strike, warning that a prolonged disruption could affect the academic calendar.
A1 Radio | 101.1MHz | David Azure | Bolgatanga
