Ghana University Administrators Call Off Strike, Announce Reopening Date For Students
- The Ghana Association of University Administrators suspended its nationwide strike effective Friday, October 16, 2026
- GAUA's National President Rev. Kwaku Karikari Amoah said the NEC unanimously agreed to call off the industrial action
- The association says roughly 80% of its grievances have been addressed following engagement with the Ministry of Education
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The Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) has called off its nationwide strike, with members expected back at their desks from Monday, October 19, 2026.
Source: UGC
National President Rev. Kwaku Karikari Amoah announced the suspension following a meeting of the association's National Executive Committee (NEC) on Friday, October 16, 2026.
He said the body conducted a thorough review of the issues that had prompted the industrial action before arriving at a unanimous decision to return to work.
"After we had done a thorough evaluation, we came to the consensus that about 80% of our grievances have been met," Rev. Amoah said, adding that the remaining concerns would continue to be discussed with the relevant government stakeholders.
"On that basis, we agreed unanimously that we suspend the strike action so that our members will go back to the offices on Monday to work," he said.
Before embarking on the strike, GAUA had raised several concerns, including issues around market premium, what the association described as wrongful placement on the Single Spine Salary Structure, a negotiated 40 per cent allowance for professionals in technical and public universities, the extension of the retirement rule beyond the fifth year, and a one-off allowance payment.
Rev. Amoah said the NEC reviewed each of these matters individually before concluding that sufficient progress had been made to justify suspending the action.
The Facebook post below contains a video of the university administrators announcing the suspension of their strike.
Education Minister's role in resolving the dispute
The GAUA president credited the Education Minister with helping to move negotiations forward.
"As the Minister just said, we brought our grievances to him for redress, and he has so far helped us and facilitated the process for some of these grievances to be addressed," Rev. Amoah said.
He explained that the NEC, which functions as the association's second-highest decision-making body after Congress, had the authority to take the decision on behalf of GAUA.
Engagements with government officials are set to continue until the outstanding matters are fully resolved.
Rev. Amoah said the return to campuses was also intended to restore calm across public universities.
"GAUA has suspended its strike action, and we are going back to the offices to complement the efforts of our colleagues on campus to ensure that there is peace and tranquillity on our university campuses," he said.
The Technical Universities Staff Association of Ghana (TUSAAG) also suspended its strike alongside GAUA, with members similarly directed to resume duties from October 19, 2026.
Education Minister orders immediate suspension of headmaster
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Ghana's Minister of Education ordered the immediate suspension of Zakaria Abdulai, headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS), following allegations of misconduct involving a female student.
The directive came through an official press release dated October 13, 2026, in which the Ministry confirmed that the matter had come to light following claims reported by Joynews and investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni.
In the statement, the Minister instructed the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES) to move swiftly to suspend Zakaria Abdulai while a thorough investigation into the matter is conducted.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
