I’LL WALK THE TALK; WORKING 13 MONTHS WITHOUT PAY IS UNACCEPTABLE — EDUCATION MINISTER TO NEWLY POSTED TEACHERS

The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has pledged that the government will urgently address the issue of teachers working without pay. He described the situation of unpaid salaries as an unacceptable labour practice.

Speaking on September 30 at the Jubilee House after receiving a petition, Iddrisu assured newly posted teachers: “I’m here to receive your humble petition and to assure you that I will walk the talk on the issue of the unfair labour treatment that has been meted out to you.”

He emphasized that working for 13 months without salary is unacceptable and that he is closely monitoring the matter.

The minister revealed that he met with the Finance Minister, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, on September 23 to discuss the teachers’ demands. A joint cabinet memorandum, to be signed by both ministers, will soon be submitted for further action.

In addition, Iddrisu said the government plans to hire 53,000 more teachers for the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector.

This development follows protests by teachers from the 2022 batch of Colleges of Education and university graduates, who marched to demand payment of 13-month and 9-month salary arrears, respectively.

Simon Kofi Nartey, lead convener of the protest, warned that the education sector would suffer if new teachers lack the means for basic necessities like transport and accommodation.