The new academic year may begin amid unrest as the Coalition of Unpaid Teachers has issued a final warning to the government, threatening large-scale street protests and possible legal action over unpaid salary arrears spanning more than a year.
The Coalition says that despite multiple demonstrations throughout 2025, more than 6,000 teachers nationwide remain unpaid due to administrative delays, particularly the failure of the Ghana Education Service (GES) to issue Staff Identification Cards required for salary processing.
According to the group, many affected teachers have been actively teaching for between 12 and 15 months but have received payment for only about two months of work, a situation they say has pushed members into severe financial hardship.
Speaking in an interview with Citi FM on Sunday, January 4, the Coalition’s lead convenor, Simon Kofi Nartey, described the situation as emotionally and financially draining for educators.
He called on the government and education authorities to urgently address the issue, stressing that prompt payment of arrears would allow teachers to focus fully on their responsibilities.
A major obstacle to resolving the problem, the Coalition explained, is the delay in issuing Staff Identification Cards. Without these cards, teachers cannot be enrolled onto the mechanised payroll system, leaving them unable to receive regular salaries.
Mr. Nartey warned that patience among affected teachers is running out and demanded that all outstanding Staff IDs be issued before the January 2026 payroll is processed.
He added that failure to meet this deadline would trigger renewed street protests.
In addition to public demonstrations, the Coalition is also seeking legal advice with the intention of filing a lawsuit against the state. The group argues that the situation is unjust, noting that teachers recruited at the same time and posted to similar regions have experienced vastly different salary outcomes.
According to Mr. Nartey, the inconsistencies in salary payments are unfair and warrant legal action against the government.
