Ghana Education Service Settles Three-Year Staff Arrears Amidst Calls for Increased WAEC Accountability

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has officially cleared three years of outstanding Academic Intervention arrears, providing a significant financial reprieve for thousands of staff members across the country. Announced on July 7, 2026, the disbursement covers arrears accumulated during the 2023/2024, 2024/2025, and 2025/2026 academic years. This move is seen as a strategic effort to resolve long-standing grievances within the second-cycle education sector and to ensure the smooth operation of academic programs in senior high schools nationwide.

According to Daniel Fenyi, the Head of Public Relations for the GES, the payments apply to both teaching and non-teaching staff in Senior High Schools (SHSs) and Senior High Technical Schools (SHTSs). The service noted that the resolution of these arrears is specifically intended to boost staff morale and enhance the effective implementation of the academic intervention programme. The GES management expressed its appreciation for the patience shown by the affected staff during the three-year waiting period and reaffirmed its commitment to the sustainable management of educational initiatives to improve the quality of education.

While the GES announcement brings relief to the workforce, the integrity of the broader education system remains under scrutiny following concerns regarding examination security. Professor Enoch Opoku Antwi, a former Dean at Academic City University College, has challenged the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to take full responsibility for recurring examination leakages. Drawing on his international experience managing professional examinations, Professor Antwi emphasized that a credible assessment system should not suffer from such breaches. He urged parents and other stakeholders to hold the council accountable, arguing that maintaining the sanctity of examinations is paramount to protecting the value of Ghanaian qualifications.

Together, these developments highlight a critical juncture for Ghana’s education sector. While the clearance of arrears addresses the immediate welfare and motivation of educators, the calls for accountability at WAEC point toward an urgent need for systemic reforms to protect academic standards. As the GES moves forward with its payment disbursements, educational authorities face the dual challenge of sustaining staff satisfaction while restoring public confidence in the national examination process to ensure a robust future for Ghanaian students.