The Ghana Education Service (GES) has formally directed the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) to adjust the effective date for the payment of arrears owed to staff promoted under the 2025 promotion exercise, moving it from 1st July 2026 to 1st January 2026, following an emergency meeting held on 31st August 2026.
The resolution stems from high-level deliberations that brought together the Ministry of Education, led by the Minister and Deputy Minister for Education, the GES, led by its Director-General, the CAGD, led by the Controller and Accountant-General, the Technical Advisor to the Minister for Education, and leadership of the country’s main teacher unions.
The meeting drew participation from the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and the Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG), each represented by their respective General Secretary or President.
The breadth of representation reflected the significance of the matter under discussion, given its direct impact on tens of thousands of teaching and non-teaching staff awaiting correct placement and payment following last year’s promotion exercise.
GES Directs CAGD To Implement New Date
At the centre of the resolution was an agreement that the effective date for payment of arrears to all staff promoted under the 2025 exercise would be set as 1st January 2026, rather than the previously communicated date of 1st July 2026.
This adjustment effectively extends the period for which affected staff will receive back-pay, aligning the arrears calculation more closely with the actual timeline of the 2025 promotion exercise.
“It was agreed at the meeting that the effective date for the payment of arrears of all staff who were promoted under the 2025 promotion exercise shall be 1st January 2026, instead of the previously indicated effective date of 1st July 2026.”
GES
Following the resolution, GES Management moved swiftly to formalise the agreement in writing, directing the CAGD to implement the revised effective date of 1st January 2026 for both teaching and non-teaching staff who were promoted under the 2025 exercise. The directive positions the CAGD as the implementing agency responsible for translating the agreed date into actual payroll and payment adjustments for affected staff.
Cooperation Sought From CAGD
Addressing potential concerns over the financial implications of moving the effective date forward, the GES confirmed that the revised arrangement remains fully within the budget already approved for the 2025 promotions covering both teaching and non-teaching staff.
This budgetary allocation, the GES noted, had been jointly sanctioned by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance, providing reassurance that the adjusted timeline would not require additional, unbudgeted financial commitments to implement
“The new arrangement is still within the approved budget for 2025 promotions for teaching and non-teaching staff by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance,” the GES stated, seeking to pre-empt any concerns about the fiscal sustainability of the revised payment date.
GES
In closing its communication, GES Management expressed confidence in the CAGD’s continued cooperation in implementing the revised directive, a note that reflects the close inter-agency coordination required to ensure the timely and accurate payment of arrears to the affected staff across the country’s pre-tertiary education system.
Part of Broader Resolution On Teacher Placements
The adjustment to the effective date follows closely on the heels of a broader agreement reached at the same emergency meeting concerning the placement of promoted teachers on their correct salary scales, an issue that had earlier threatened to trigger a nationwide teachers’ strike.
Taken together, the outcomes of the 31st August meeting represent a comprehensive resolution package addressing both the timing of promotion-related back-pay and the mechanics of salary scale placement for teachers affected by the 2025 exercise.
With the revised effective date now formally communicated to the CAGD, attention will likely turn to how promptly the department is able to process the necessary adjustments and ensure that affected teaching and non-teaching staff receive their appropriately calculated arrears without further delay.
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