Ghanaian Teachers Threaten Protest Over Salary Arrears: "Yeregye Yen Sika"
- Over 6,000 Ghanaian teachers have reportedly received only two months’ salary despite working for more than a year
- The Coalition of Unpaid Teachers is demanding the immediate payment of their arrears and that staff ID cards be issued
- The group has threatened to stage another protest if their demands are not met before the January 2026 salaries are paid
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The Coalition of Unpaid Teachers has demanded the payment of their salary arrears from the government.
According to the group, more than 6,000 Ghanaian teachers who have worked for between 12 and 15 months have only been paid two months’ salary.
Source: Facebook
Speaking to Citi News on Sunday, January 4, 2026, the convenor for the coalition, Simon Kofi Nartey, pleaded with the government to release the rest of the salaries.
“We are calling on our employer and the government at large to listen to us and have our arrears paid, so that we can all have our peace of mind to continue with the good work that we are doing for the country,” he said.
The group has consequently threatened to embark on a demonstration to demand their unpaid salaries if the government does not clear these arrears in due time.
Ghanaian teachers bemoan effects of pay arrears
According to Nartey, the prolonged delays in the payment of their salaries have worsened their cost-of-living pressures despite a protest organised last year.
He also called for the immediate issuance of staff identification cards to members who had not yet received them.
The coalition spokesman warned that failure to do so before the payment of January 2026 salaries could further infuriate members and trigger another protest.
“The few that are left to be issued with their staff IDs should have it before this month’s salary comes, before we hit the street once again,” he added.
The warning from the Coalition of Unpaid Teachers to the government comes after several protests in 2025, which led to the payment of two months’ salary.
Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, addresses teachers
During the 2025 protest, the Cabinet under President John Mahama's administration has given its approval for the absorption of over 6,000 unpaid teachers into the system.
This announcement comes after months of protests by the affected Ghanaian teachers, who have demanded the payment of their salary arrears.
The unpaid teachers, recruited in 2022 and 2023, have been demanding payment of their salary arrears and issuance of staff IDs.
The Coalition of Unpaid Teachers, made up of graduates from colleges of education and universities, has repeatedly raised concerns over salary delays.
Speaking at a press conference on October 14, 2025, the Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, stated that the ministry would begin the process of absorbing the teachers in earnest.
Haruna Iddrisu stated that the validation process for the educators was ongoing and that once completed, those who qualify would be absorbed into the system.
Source: UGC
Haruna Idrissu faces picketing teachers
In a related development, YEN.com.gh reported that Haruna Iddrisu had addressed some university graduate teachers picketing at the forecourt of the Ministry of Education on May 7, 2025.
He told the protesters that there was no financial clearance to absorb the huge number of teachers into the system, with netizens sharing varied opinions on the Education Minister's words.
Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
