Salary arrears owed to all 6,300 Ghana Education Service (GES) staff recruited in 2024 without financial clearance have been settled by the government. The Ministry noted that the payments were made in four tranches after Cabinet approval was secured and the required financial clearance was issued.

This information was made public by the Ministry of Finance in a statement issued on Tuesday, September 8. Part of the statement read, “In 2025, the Government inherited 6,300 GES staff who had been recruited in 2024 without financial clearance. The Ministry of Finance can confirm that all 6,300 staff covered by this arrangement have been paid. The Ministry further clarifies that there are no outstanding requests for financial clearance from the GES awaiting action by the Ministry of Finance.

These teachers had been working after their postings but hadn’t been placed on the government’s payroll, hence they were not receiving salaries for their services.

In Ghana’s public sector, recruits cannot be paid until the Ministry of Finance issues financial clearance. According to reports, these 6,249 newly recruited teachers mark the last set of recruits that have been cleared to receive a salary.

In 2025, the Education Minister in mid-October announced that the government will absorb six thousand two hundred teachers into the education system and settle all arrears owed them.

This announcement came after a group of concerned and aggrieved teachers who had worked for months without salary petitioned the office of the Education Minister.

Addressing the petition, Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu, during a pre-event briefing and regional stakeholder meeting on October 13 ahead of the ADEA Triennale 2025 launch, revealed that the government has earmarked about one million cedis for the payment of teachers’ salaries.

He also urged them to give their best to promote academic excellence across the country’s educational institutions.

“A few weeks ago, my Chief Director and I received a petition from some teachers who were unhappy with the government over their delayed salaries. They have worked for several months without pay. I’m happy to announce that Cabinet has given approval for the 6,200 teachers to be absorbed, and the process will begin in due course. They will receive their staff IDs, and as I assured them, they will also get their back pay.

"But having demonstrated goodwill by doing this, we expect something in return — that they remain committed and dedicated to academic work,” the Minister highlighted.

He revealed that the government has approved one million dollars to absorb the teachers and a category of health workers.

“So, those 6,200 teachers, I think I can speak for both ministries in this matter, the Cabinet has given the Minister of Finance approval to vary the budget and spend about GH₵1.1 billion to absorb a category of health workers and teachers,” the Minister noted.