[REVISION HISTORY]

Teacher salary and promotion disputes in West Africa

Updated 2 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-08-31 20:01 UTC → 2026-09-22 17:05 UTC · added ~~removed~~

In Ghana, the Ghana Education Service (GES) issued a directive to newly promoted teachers, instructing them to ignore requests for application letters or additional documentation to facilitate salary adjustments. The GES clarified that teachers are automatically placed on the appropriate salary scale for their new ranks, an existing practice. This clarification was issued following reports that certain districts were requesting documents from teachers to process these changes. Concurrently, teacher unions in both Ghana and Sierra Leone have raised demands regarding compensation. In Sierra Leone, the Sierra Leone Teachers Union (SLTU) has requested government discussions to review salaries and working conditions, noting that teachers earn less than the equivalent of US$100 per month. In Ghana, the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and the Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG) issued a joint demand for the GES and the Ministry of Education to maintain the standard practice of automatic salary grade adjustments for promoted staff. The unions warned that any attempt to change this system without stakeholder consultation would be “fiercely resisted.” Following these tensions, major Ghanaian teacher unions ~~have~~ suspended a planned nationwide strike after negotiations with the Ministry of Education. The government ~~has~~ committed to placing approximately 80,000 teachers on their correct salary scales, with the GES providing data to the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department to complete placements and payments by September. To streamline the process, teachers will no longer be required to travel to district or regional offices to submit physical payslips for these adjustments. ~~Union leaders~~ However, tensions have ~~stated they will monitor~~ resurfaced as the ~~implementation to ensure~~ September deadline approached. The GNAT, NAGRAT, and the Concerned Teachers Coalition (CCT) have issued a deadline of midday on Thursday, September 24, 2026, for the government ~~adheres~~ to ~~these timelines.~~ resolve disputes regarding promotions and unpaid salary arrears.

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