Some teachers are set to get some financial relief after several months of working without a salary. In a press statement dated 16th October, the Ghana Education Service (GES) announced that it has received financial clearance to pay the salaries of 6,249 teachers recruited in 2024.

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.

However, after the Finance Ministry cleared that they can be paid, the education regulator announced that they can start receiving salaries. In Ghana’s public sector, recruits cannot be paid until the Ministry of Finance issues financial clearance.

Consequently, GES, in the statement, noted that “This approval allows the Ghana Education Service to complete all necessary processes to ensure the staff receive their salaries. Although this financial clearance expires on 31st December 2025, Management of GES will ensure that all staff are placed on the mechanised payroll in time for November 2025 payments.”

The Service expressed appreciation to its staff for their dedication and reiterated its commitment to ensuring the timely and accurate disbursement of salaries.

According to reports, these 6,249 newly recruited teachers mark the last set of recruits that have been cleared to receive a salary.

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, he said.

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 later this month, 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.

The Tamale South Constituency MP also revealed steps the government is taking to deal with the confusion that comes with the school placement system. Three hundred and ninety-three thousand (393,000) candidates passed their Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in 2025, making them eligible to enter Senior High School as the country’s education system demands.

Due to the long-standing prestige attached to fewer than 100 top-tier Category A and B schools, the 76,000 vacancies available in these institutions cannot accommodate the large number of students who prefer them, creating intense pressure on the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS).

Consequently, Haruna Iddrisu announced plans to promote fairness and improve access for all qualified candidates starting next year, 2026, by re-categorising some second-cycle schools, a move which has received the President’s approval.

“When it comes to Category A, B, and C schools, every parent understandably wants their child in a Category A school. But in the past month, we haven’t expanded infrastructure in any Category A school to make that possible. My thinking, to ensure equity, is that from 2026 onwards, after consultations and discussions with the President, and with his support and blessing, we will convert at least 10 Category C schools to Category B schools, and 10 Category B schools to Category A schools,” the Minister said.

The re-categorisation will, however, be backed by improved infrastructure facilities in the respective schools to promote a serene academic atmosphere.

“This will be backed by infrastructure improvements, additional classroom blocks, dormitories for students, and quality enhancements through better teaching and learning materials and aids,” Mr Haruna continued.

The Education Ministry has announced a transition from prepaid to postpaid meters across all government senior high schools nationwide.

This was announced by the Education Minister, Haruna Iddrisu, during a speech at the 63rd Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) in Sunyani, held on Wednesday, October 8.

The move comes following complaints from headteachers over the unreliability of prepaid meters and the challenges that disrupted power flow causes to academic work.

Ahead of the Minister’s announcement, CHASS National President, Alhaji Yakub A.B. Abubakar, highlighted some of the challenges faced by these headteachers, citing electricity supply disruptions due to prepaid meters.

In response, the Minister said, “….And I’m happy to announce that, first January 2026, all CHASS schools will be on post-paid meters. My colleague Hon Jinapor asked me to convey to you that it is possible and that all CHASS schools will be moved to postpaid so that you will not continue to endure the embarrassment of lights being off,” the Minister disclosed.

Over the years, government-assisted Senior High Schools (SHS) have complained about interruptions in power supply due to the use of prepaid meters in the respective schools. Prepaid electricity meters work on a “pay-as-you-go” system, where users buy power in advance and consume only what they’ve paid for.

Consequently, schools had to buy electricity upfront and later seek reimbursement from the Ministry of Education, creating cash flow problems, especially when government funds were delayed.

Headmasters emphasised that power interruptions affected students’ ability to study, especially during exam preparation periods.