For months now, groups of newly recruited teachers in Ghana have been working without salaries, sparking growing frustration and renewed calls on the government to address the problem.
Some of these teachers, both College of Education graduates and university graduates, have worked for eight months to a year without pay despite repeated assurances from the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Ministry of Education.
The affected teachers fall into two main categories. The first is the 2022 batch of College of Education graduates, who were recruited in 2023 and began teaching in 2024. The second group comprises university graduates who also joined the service in 2024. Many in both groups remain unpaid, despite going through the required validation processes and being assigned to schools.
A university graduate who spoke to the Vaultz News recalled how the appointments of some of the 2024 recruited teachers were initially revoked by the Director-General of GES on February 17, 2025, because they were not on the payroll as of December 31, 2024.
This, he said, contradicted a directive from the Chief of Staff. “Our appointment was later reinstated, but we had to go through validation again at the regional offices,” he explained.
According to him, in May 2025, the aggrieved teachers resorted to picketing at the GES headquarters to demand staff IDs and payment of their salaries. This action led to the formation of a salary resolution committee to explore a way forward.
Teachers were then assured that after the mid-year budget, their concerns would be addressed. Yet, months later, there has been no progress. He disclosed that meetings between the teachers and GES officials have also been marred by postponements.
According to the graduate teacher, a meeting scheduled for August 7, 2025, to discuss salaries and related issues with GES was rescheduled.
“The PRO of GES, Mr. Daniel Afeyi, had initially arranged a meeting with us on the 7th of August before the recent tragedy, but it was rescheduled due to the mourning of the eight fallen individuals. He later promised to meet us this week”.
The University Graduate Teacher
For many, these repeated delays have only deepened their frustration. Some of the teachers have now worked close to a year without receiving a single salary, while others have endured seven, eight, or nine months without pay.
A Graduate of the College of Education’s Plight
Also, a graduate of the College of Education shared a similar experience. According to her, the 2022 year group was the first batch of degree-holders trained under the government’s revised teacher education policy.
They were recruited in 2023 and posted in 2024, in line with tradition where College of Education graduates are given automatic posting by the government. However, their pay has not been forthcoming.
He explained that it usually takes four to six months before newly posted teachers receive their salaries due to the long process of validation and clearance. But this time, the delays have been far longer than usual.
“The first batch was paid after the January transition. We expected the rest of us to also be paid, but nothing came. Some had not even received their staff IDs by then.
“We realised that they had paid a section of those who were affected, but still a lot of us hadn’t been paid. We decided to create a common platform and collect data from people who were affected. From our findings, we are around 600.”.
Graduate Teacher of the College of Education
She added that while some had finally received their staff IDs as late as June, their salaries still remained unpaid. Efforts to secure a resolution have dragged on for months.
The group has repeatedly petitioned the Ministry of Education, GES, and even the Ministry of Finance, but they were told their concerns would be addressed after the mid-year budget presentation, but once again, no allocation was made for financial clearance.
“Several times, we have been promised meetings, but they keep being postponed. This is the third time. The PRO keeps telling us to wait until next week, but nothing happens.”
Graduate Teacher of the College of Education
The group has grown increasingly disillusioned, particularly after learning that trainee nurses, who were also facing salary delays, have reportedly secured financial clearance through the Ministry of Health and could be paid by September.
“We don’t know what GES is doing. We don’t know what the Minister of Education is doing. We have done our best. We’ve sent petitions everywhere. The people are angry, and I wonder what will happen”.
Graduate Teacher of the College of Education
The teachers are now planning to intensify their actions. According to their representatives, plans are underway for a press conference, followed by a demonstration while legal action has not been ruled out either if the government fail to act. “Working for twelve whole months without a salary—Charlie, we are trying,” the teacher concluded.
For many, the silence from authorities has compounded the hardship. Questions linger about how young teachers, many of whom had to spend significant sums to secure recruitment, are surviving without pay. Rent, food, and family responsibilities continue to weigh on them while they remain in limbo.
Education think tanks, including Eduwatch, have long called for reforms to the recruitment and validation process, suggesting that decentralization to district offices would reduce bottlenecks. But until such reforms are adopted, newly posted teachers risk enduring the same cycle of uncertainty.
For the hundreds of teachers still waiting, the situation has become unbearable. Their message is simple: they want to be paid for the work they have already done. Until that happens, the threat of more protests and industrial action looms over Ghana’s education sector.
