GES moves to clear backlog, pay teachers’ arrears
The Ghana Education Service (GES) has responded to a petition submitted by a group of newly posted teachers who assumed duty in September 2024, raising concerns about delays in receiving Staff IDs and unpaid salaries.
In a statement, GES acknowledged receipt of the petition presented by the teachers on Monday, June 23. The Service confirmed it is aware of the challenges faced by some newly recruited staff and outlined the steps being taken to address them.
According to GES, a total of 12,807 graduates from the Colleges of Education in 2024 were recruited. As of December that year, 9,950 of the teachers had been issued Staff IDs and received salary payments. However, 2,113 teachers, despite having received Staff IDs, could not be paid due to the expiration of financial clearance.
An additional 582 teachers were not issued Staff IDs at all, mainly due to delays and inconsistencies in their documentation, including mismatches in SSNIT numbers, Ghana Card details, and cases of self-reposting.
GES also noted that the current management initiated a nationwide staff validation exercise from March 7 to 14, 2025, to verify genuinely recruited teachers and to address anomalies discovered in recent audit reports. The exercise formed part of broader efforts to clean up irregularities in the recruitment process.
GES stated that letters have been sent through the Minister of Education to the Ministry of Finance, requesting the extension of the expired financial clearance. The Service disclosed that a budgetary allocation to address the matter was made in the 2025 national budget.
“The Service is actively working to clear the recruitment backlog and prevent future occurrences by tackling systemic challenges in the hiring process,” the statement disclosed.
The Education Service also raised concerns over the lack of consistent leadership among the aggrieved teachers. The Service noted that every protest or petition has involved a different set of individuals, making it difficult to track concerns and sustain dialogue.
It therefore appealed for “coordinated, unified, and consistent representation from the teachers to help streamline the engagement process.”
The Service also urged calm and patience as efforts to resolve the situation continue. Management reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, accountability, and collaboration, assuring all affected teachers that genuine cases would be addressed promptly.
