The Coalition of Unpaid Teachers from Colleges of Education and Universities has marched to the Ghana Education Service (GES) in protest, demanding immediate payment of 14 months’ salary arrears and the issuance of outstanding staff identification numbers to affected teachers across the country.
Addressing the gathering, a representative of the Coalition explained that the protest follows an extended period of hardship endured by affected teachers, some for 14 months and others for as long as two years, prompting the group to present a formal petition intended to reach the President and draw urgent attention to their concerns.
According to the Coalition, government had previously released GH¢1.1 billion specifically for the payment of outstanding salary arrears owed to affected teachers.
However, the representative alleged that a section of teachers, specifically those whose staff identification numbers begin with 165, 166 and some 164 series, were unfairly excluded from this payment despite having faithfully served in their respective institutions.
“GH¢1.1 billion was released for the payment of our salary arrears, but some teachers with staff IDs beginning with 165, 166 and some 164 were unfairly excluded,”
Coalition of Unpaid Teachers
Petition Frames Demand as A Matter of Justice, Not Compassion
The Coalition was firm in framing its demands not as a plea for sympathy, but as a matter of justice, equality and administrative fairness rooted in constitutional protections.
The representative stressed that the group’s petition to the President was submitted in earnest appeal rather than confrontation, despite the prolonged financial hardship, psychological distress, indebtedness and humiliation the affected teachers say they have endured.
“Our position is not merely a request for compassion, it is a demand for justice, equality, administrative fairness and the protection of legitimate economic interests under the 1992 Constitution of Ghana,”
Coalition of Unpaid Teachers
Constitutional Provisions Cited In Support Of Demands
In building its case, the Coalition made specific reference to provisions within the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.
The representative cited Article 17, Clause 1, which affirms that all persons shall be equal before the law, questioning why affected teachers continue to be denied earnings they say they have rightfully earned through their service.
The representative further referenced Article 17, Clause 2, which prohibits discrimination on specified grounds, and Article 17, Clause 3 defines discrimination as the application of restrictions not imposed on another comparable category of persons, arguing that the exclusion of certain staff ID holders from the arrears payment amounts to precisely this kind of unequal treatment.
Missing Staff IDs Raise Payroll Concerns
Beyond the arrear’s exclusion, the Coalition raised a separate but related concern over teachers who remain without staff identification numbers despite having worked diligently for up to two years in some cases.
The representative questioned how such teachers could be properly enrolled onto the government payroll or receive monthly salary statements without the necessary identification numbers in place.
The Coalition further invoked Article 24, Clause 1 of the 1992 Constitution, which provides that every person has the right to work under satisfactory, safe and healthy conditions, and to receive equal treatment without distinction of any kind, arguing that the current situation facing affected teachers runs contrary to this constitutional guarantee.
Call For Urgent Government Intervention
Beyond the arrears and staff ID issues, the Coalition also called for a formal investigation into what it described as erroneous assumption of duty dates affecting some teachers’ records, arguing that inaccuracies of this nature have further complicated efforts to resolve their outstanding entitlements.
With the petition now formally presented, attention will likely turn to how swiftly government and the Ghana Education Service respond to the Coalition’s demands, particularly regarding the disputed exclusion of teachers with the affected staff ID series from the GH¢1.1 billion arrears disbursement, and the broader question of issuing outstanding staff identification numbers to teachers still awaiting formal payroll enrolment.
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