Newly recruited teachers across Ghana have issued a stern ultimatum to the government, demanding the immediate settlement of salary arrears and the provision of staff identification numbers.
The group, identifying as the Aggrieved Newly Posted Teachers, has given the Ministry of Education until 13th April to produce a definitive payment roadmap or face a massive demonstration scheduled for 15th April.
The unrest follows a period of mounting frustration after a meeting with the minister for education failed to yield a specific timeline for payments.
Despite government assurances, the teachers claim they are being sidelined while their counterparts in the health sector have already received a clear implementation plan.
Speaking on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM’s Nyankonton Mu Nsem, Emmanuel Ofori, secretary for the group, highlighted a glaring inconsistency in how the government is managing the GH¢1.1 billion approved by Cabinet last October.
Although this fund was intended to cover both nurses and teachers, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Health have already coordinated a payout for health workers, leaving teachers in the dark.
“We are asking why teachers are being treated differently under the same circumstances,” Ofori noted during the broadcast. He further criticised the government’s claim that a lack of financial clearance is the cause for the delay, pointing out that new recruitment drives are being announced even as existing staff remain unpaid for up to 17 months.
The situation is worsened by the fact that many educators have been working for over a year without staff IDs. Without these numbers, they remain invisible in the payroll system, a situation the group described as “inhumane”.
He lamented that many teachers report being buried in debt as they continue to man classrooms without receiving a single month’s salary.
According to him, the planned demonstration on 15th April is set to take place while basic schools and single-track senior high schools are on vacation, ensuring that instructional hours are not disrupted.
While the group expressed gratitude to the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and the Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG) for their ongoing support, they called for more aggressive advocacy as the deadline nears.
He also voiced disappointment in the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), accusing the leadership of a “disheartening” silence during a crisis affecting its members.
He called on civil society organisations, religious leaders, and the general public to intervene.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
