A group of teachers recruited in 2023 and posted to the Northern Region have petitioned the Ministry of Education, describing their situation as a “grave professional and financial injustice” after working for more than two years without pay.
The affected teachers, about 250 in the Northern Region and nearly 400 nationwide, say persistent delays in staff ID generation by the Ghana Education Service (GES) have prevented them from being placed on the government payroll, despite assuming duty in 2023.
Reading the petition on behalf of the group, the association’s president dismissed claims allegedly made by the Regional Education Director on Sagani TV that their appointments are fake.
“We completely reject the assertion that our appointments are fake. We followed all due processes and possess valid appointment letters, regional posting letters, and duly signed assumption-of-duty forms from our various districts and schools,” he stated.
According to the group, they have worked continuously for over 25 months without any official directive instructing them to stop work.
They describe the situation as demoralising and financially crippling. The petition explains that the teachers were mistakenly affected by administrative confusion following the mass revocation of appointments made after the December 7, 2024, general elections.
However, they insist their appointments were issued in 2023, well before the elections, and should not have been captured under the revocation and reinstatement process.
“Our appointments were made long before the 2024 elections, so neither the revocation nor the reinstatement process applies to us. Yet we continue to suffer the consequences of an error we did not cause,” the petition noted.
The teachers further expressed concern that while they remain unpaid, some teachers recruited in 2024 and even a few engaged after December 2024 have already received staff IDs and are being paid.
They also noted that in other regions, most 2023 recruits are already on payroll, leaving the Northern Region uniquely affected. “What makes this situation more painful is that a few selected members of our group have been given staff IDs and paid, while the majority of us have been ignored without any explanation,” the president added.
The group is appealing for urgent intervention to ensure immediate submission of their data for staff ID generation, facilitate payment of all outstanding salary arrears dating back to 2023, and correct what they describe as a damaging public narrative questioning their professional legitimacy.
Despite the prolonged delay, the teachers say they remain hopeful that authorities will act swiftly to resolve the matter and restore fairness and dignity to those who have continued to teach without pay in the Northern Region.
