Teachers without pay: GES Responds to Mounting Pressure Over Staff ID Delays

The Ghana Education Service (GES) is facing heightened scrutiny following a petition submitted on June 23, 2025, by a group of newly hired teachers who began their roles in September 2024. These teachers have voiced serious concerns over administrative delays, particularly the late issuance of Staff IDs, which has impacted their salary payments.

In response, the GES released a detailed statement on June 24, 2025, aimed at clarifying its position and outlining the specific measures being taken to resolve these issues. The release emphasizes the GES’s acknowledgment of the problem, commitment to transparency in its ongoing efforts, and a plea for patience and collaboration from the affected teachers.

 Context of the Recruitment

To grasp the concerns more fully, it’s essential to understand the recruitment context. In 2024, the GES hired 12,807 graduates from Colleges of Education to meet the increasing demand for qualified teachers nationwide. By December 2024, 9,950 of these recruits had received their Staff IDs and corresponding salaries.

However, 2,113 teachers with Staff IDs have not been paid due to an expired financial clearance, causing considerable frustration. Additionally, 582 teachers did not receive IDs due to issues with documentation such as SSNIT numbers and Ghana Card details, which delayed their data validation.

These administrative challenges highlight systemic issues within the GES’s on boarding process for large groups of teachers. The GES recognizes these delays and assures stakeholders that corrective actions are in progress.

Actions Taken

To address these challenges comprehensively, the new GES management launched a nationwide staff validation exercise from March 7 to 14, 2025. This initiative was designed to verify teacher postings, clean the recruitment database, and rectify any discrepancies in the records, following alarming inconsistencies revealed by recent audits. A technical committee, consisting of key stakeholders and representatives from the affected teachers, has been established to enhance communication, provide timely feedback, and coordinate resolution efforts effectively.

Moreover, the GES has sent requests via the Ministry of Education to the Ministry of Finance for an extension of the expired financial clearance, enabling salary payments for those previously denied. The 2025 national budget has earmarked funds to support this request, indicating the government’s acknowledgment of the issue’s urgency.

The GES has also reaffirmed its dedication to not only resolving the current backlog but also addressing the underlying causes of these systemic problems. It is working towards reforming internal recruitment processes to avert similar issues in future engagements.

Challenges with Representation

A key obstacle in swiftly addressing grievances is the inconsistency in teacher representation. GES reports that new factions of disgruntled teachers frequently arise with changing leadership and diverse demands, complicating efforts to track and address concerns adequately.

Different groups have organized demonstrations with varying participants, often disrupting continuity in conversations. To enhance engagement, the GES has called for a unified and consistent representation from teacher groups, believing this will facilitate more effective discussions and quicker resolutions. It is crucial for teacher unions, such as the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT), to collaborate more effectively and provide structured leadership in addressing their members’ shared concerns.

 Transparency and Call for Calm

The GES’s press statement concludes with an important appeal for calm and ongoing dialogue. While the frustrations of affected teachers are understandable, the GES assures that substantial progress is being made toward resolving the issues.

All affected teachers are guaranteed that efforts are underway to facilitate timely remuneration for those genuinely recruited. Emphasizing values of transparency, accountability, and collaboration, the GES is committed to fair labour practices and the welfare of teachers.

Additionally, the current crisis is seen as an opportunity for lasting reforms, encouraging a redesign of outdated systems reliant on fragmented data handling and bureaucratic delays.

 Educational Implications

Beyond resolving salary and ID issues, this situation highlights deeper structural challenges within our education system. In light of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) implementation, maintaining the integrity and morale of the teaching workforce is crucial.

Teacher satisfaction and timely payments are essential not only for labour relations but also for enhancing teaching quality and learning outcomes, as research consistently indicates that motivated teachers significantly impact student performance (Adom, 2022). Ensuring efficient on boarding and timely payments is therefore a matter of educational equity and national progress.

To prevent similar future issues, stronger collaboration among the Ministry of Finance, the Controller and Accountant General’s Department, and GES is necessary to develop an integrated data system for recruitment and payroll processing. Investments in digital HR systems and biometric validation can help overcome existing gaps and increase transparency.

Conclusion

The recent petition from newly hired teachers reflects broader institutional inefficiencies. Nonetheless, the GES’s proactive engagement and prompt actions signal a positive shift towards accountability. It is imperative for unions, ministries, and civil society to collaborate to transform these commitments into tangible outcomes.

As Ghana aims to redefine its educational framework, now is the time to decisively tackle recruitment inefficiencies. The strength of any educational system is reflected in how it values its teachers. By prioritizing teacher welfare, the GES can cultivate not only a dedicated workforce but also a generation of learners prepared for the future.

 By Wisdom Koudjo Klu

Editor’s note: Views expressed in this article do not represent that of The Chronicle

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