The leadership of Teacher Unions at the pre-tertiary level in Ghana has unanimously agreed to suspend its planned demonstration, which was scheduled for Tuesday, October 1, in the Greater Accra Region.
This decision followed hours of discussions on Monday, September 30, between the leadership of the unions, the Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, and officials from the Ghana Education Service (GES) in Accra.
During the meeting, the Education Minister addressed the concerns raised by the unions, which led to their initial decision to protest.
On the issue of allowances for teachers in deprived areas, Dr. Adutwum presented documents from the Ministry of Education showing that preparations were underway for payment, following data validation by the GES and approval by the Ministry of Finance.
The Minister also informed the unions that the government had fulfilled its promise to increase the Professional Development Allowance (PDA) by 100%. He confirmed that payments had been effected in September.
Present at the meeting were representatives from the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT-GH), and the management of the GES.
Following the meeting, the union leadership urged their members to refrain from participating in the planned demonstration, assuring them that their grievances were being satisfactorily addressed.
In a previous press release on August 27, the unions highlighted several unresolved issues from the Collective Agreement signed on May 24, 2024. These included the initiation of negotiations on the Deprived Area Allowance within one month of signing the agreement, as well as the resolution of promotions from Deputy Director (DD) to Director II (DII) and Director I (DI) by September 2024.
The unions also expressed concerns over other challenges, such as 12 months of arrears for their Tier-2 pension deductions and issues with the Public Services Commission (PSC), including delays in upgrading, difficulties in reinstatement, and rank reductions.