There is growing anxiety among a group of 6,100 teachers who have worked for nearly a year without salaries, after receiving only one month’s pay despite recent cabinet approval for their recruitment.
The teachers, many of whom completed their national service in 2022 and 2023 and have been teaching in basic schools across the country, say they expected full salary arrears following news that the Cabinet had finally sanctioned their employment. Instead, they have been paid only for the month of November.
According to information circulating among affected teachers, the Education Ministry and the Ghana Education Service (GES) may be treating them as new recruits, effectively resetting their employment start date to November 2025. This would mean they are not entitled to any arrears for the months they worked prior to official approval.
This rumoured development has caused frustration and disappointment within the group, who say they have endured financial hardship, debt, and emotional stress while teaching without pay for almost a year.
“We were happy when we heard Cabinet had finally approved our postings. But receiving just one month’s salary after working since January feels like a slap in the face,” one affected teacher lamented. “If they say we’re now new recruits, then all our sacrifices have gone to waste.”