Controller and Accountant-General's Department Processes Promotion Payments for 6,079 Teachers Amid Nationwide Strike

The Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) has confirmed the processing and payment of 6,079 teacher promotion cases, including applicable arrears, in an effort to address labor unrest within the education sector. These payments, which were reflected in the September 2026 salary cycle, include arrears backdated to January 1, 2026. The announcement comes as teacher unions, including the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), and the Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG), declared or threatened strike actions over prolonged delays in salary placements and unpaid arrears for promoted staff.

While the processing of these cases marks progress, a significant gap remains between the number of teachers paid and the total number of promotions. The CAGD revealed that it has only received 6,079 completed cases from the Ghana Education Service (GES) out of an anticipated total of 58,620 cases. The department clarified that the payroll administration process relies on a dual-platform system involving the Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS) and the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Database 2 (IPPD2). According to the CAGD, the GES is responsible for initiating promotions and providing the necessary documentation to trigger salary adjustments.

The department emphasized that the primary cause for the outstanding payments is a lack of valid documentation from the GES, such as signed promotion forms and official letters. The CAGD maintained that these documents are essential for validation to ensure the legitimacy of payments and to prevent unauthorized adjustments to the government payroll. As of late September 2026, many cases remain pending because they lack the required paperwork for the CAGD to finalize the transactions.

To resolve the standoff and ensure the remaining 52,541 teachers are correctly placed on their new salary scales, the CAGD has called for increased collaboration among stakeholders, including the Ministry of Education and the GES. A framework established during a meeting on August 31 was intended to streamline the submission of the full list of promoted teachers. The CAGD has assured all legitimate claimants that their payments will be handled promptly once the GES submits the necessary documentation, urging unions to remain cooperative as the administrative hurdles are cleared.