Dozens of 2024 recruited teachers have staged a protest outside the headquarters of the Ghana Education Service (GES) in Accra, demanding the immediate release of their staff identification numbers and payment of salary arrears owed to them for up to 14 months.
Clad in red headbands and wielding placards bearing inscriptions such as “We Have Worked, Pay Us,” “GES Pay 2024 Recruited Teachers Now,” and “No Staff ID, No Salary—Why?”, the aggrieved teachers said they had exhausted all official channels and were left with no option but to picket.
According to the group, some 6,200 teachers were granted financial clearance in 2025, yet a significant number of those recruited in November 2024 say they remain excluded from the payroll despite actively teaching in classrooms across the country.
Speaking to JoyNews’ Stephen Mensah, one teacher stationed at Salvation Army Basic School described the severe financial and emotional toll the delay has taken on him.
“It has really been difficult. I’m a family man with three children. There are school fees, water bills, and rent. It has really been hard,” he said.
The teacher explained that he had followed due process, engaging his headteacher, district office, and regional human resources department. While the regional office insisted it had forwarded its documents to headquarters, he claimed officials in Accra later told them the documents could not be located.
“We were even told at one point that our financial clearance had expired and that we should go home and start all over again. How is that our fault? If it is someone’s negligence, why should we suffer?” he asked.
He added that after working between 12 and 14 months without pay, the only thing they are demanding is what is rightfully theirs. “All we are asking for is the salary due to us. That is all.”
Discrepancies in Recruitment and Payment
Several protesters expressed frustration that teachers recruited as recently as December 2025 have reportedly received their staff IDs and begun receiving salaries, including arrears, while those recruited earlier remain unpaid.
“Our Honourable Minister intervened and said we should be put on the payroll. We do not know what happened after that. We go from one office to another. They keep blaming each other,” another teacher said.
A female teacher said she had reached the breaking point.
“Psychologically, emotionally, physically, financially, I am not stable. How can I go to class and teach under these conditions?” she asked. “Unless they release my staff ID, I will not return to the classroom.”
She recounted being told by an official not to continue teaching because she would not be paid for the months worked while awaiting regularisation. Despite checking her details with the Social Security and National Insurance Trust and the National Identification Authority after being informed there were issues with her records, she said everything was in order.
“I do not know the cause. They just need to release our staff ID so we can teach in peace.”
Long Journeys, No Pay
For some, the ordeal has involved significant travel and personal cost. One teacher who commutes daily from Adenta to Tema said he had survived nearly 14 months without pay under severe hardship.
“I do not even know how I have survived. It is hard. They should at least come out and give us a timeline, maybe by the end of February, and release our staff IDs. Why should we be working for 14 months without pay?” he said.
Many of the affected teachers say they are the sole breadwinners, responsible for extended family members, including siblings and nephews. One teacher explained she relies on private tutoring to survive, as landlords demand overdue rent and daily transport costs continue to mount.
“I move from Tema to Dansoman every day. Calculate the transport and food expenses yet; at the end of the month, I receive nothing,” she said. “It is not fair.” We are begging them to put themselves in our shoes and generate our staff IDs,” she pleaded.
The teachers insist their protest is peaceful and not intended to cause disruption. However, they warn that it will not be their last demonstration if their concerns remain unaddressed.
“This is not the first time we have picketed, and it will not be the last,” one protester declared. “We are not here for chaos. We are demanding our staff IDs and our salaries, nothing more.”
The group says letters written to the ministry seeking meetings have reportedly gone missing, deepening their mistrust and frustration.
As classrooms across parts of Ghana face uncertainty, the protesting teachers maintain that their core mandate is to teach, but they cannot continue to do so under mounting financial distress and administrative ambiguity.
For now, their message remains clear: No Staff ID, no salary, No Teaching.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com