Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has appealed to striking university administrators to suspend their industrial action and give government one month to resolve their outstanding payment concerns.
Speaking at a meeting with representatives of the Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) and the Technical University Senior Administrators Association of Ghana (TUSAAG) on Monday, August 17, Mr Iddrisu said government was committed to addressing the issues that triggered the strike.
“I want you to give me one month to resolve the issues, and I want you to furnish me with the data to help the resolution,” the Minister said.
A major issue in the dispute is the payment of a one-time research allowance owed to non-teaching senior staff of public universities.
Mr Iddrisu directed the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) to provide data on beneficiaries by 10 a.m. on Tuesday, August 18, to enable the Ministry of Finance to verify the figures and begin the payment process.
According to the Minister, the Finance Ministry requires accurate and audited beneficiary data before funds can be released.
He said he had discussed the matter with Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Ampem, who also stressed the need for reliable information on all beneficiaries.
Mr Iddrisu further referenced an April 24, 2026 letter from the Deputy Finance Minister and emphasised the need for the requested information to be submitted to facilitate payment of the outstanding allowance.
The Minister also addressed a recent letter from GTEC, which he described as containing both “friendly and unfriendly” elements.
He suggested that the concerns raised in the letter could be handled separately while urging the university administrators to return to work as government works towards resolving their grievances.
GAUA and TUSAAG began their latest industrial action on August 11, 2026, over unresolved issues including salary disparities, market premium adjustments and outstanding allowances.
The strike has affected academic and administrative activities at some public universities. The University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS), for instance, has suspended its ongoing end-of-second-semester examinations amid the disruption.
TUSAAG had earlier suspended its strike on December 22, 2025, following an intervention by the Education Minister but resumed the action after government failed to meet agreed deadlines for the payment of the outstanding research allowance.
Government initially promised to pay the allowance by March 30, 2026, before extending the deadline to the end of April. Neither deadline was met.
Meanwhile, GTEC has directed certain senior management officials of public universities to return to work, arguing that they are not eligible to participate in industrial action.
The directive covers Vice-Chancellors, Pro Vice-Chancellors, Registrars, Directors of Finance, Directors of Internal Audit and other executive and managerial officials.
GTEC has given Vice-Chancellors 48 hours to submit the names of senior management officials who fail to comply with the directive.
Following Monday’s meeting, the leadership of GAUA requested 48 hours to consult its members on the Education Minister’s appeal.
The association is expected to communicate its decision by Wednesday, August 19.
If members agree to suspend the strike, government would have until September 17, 2026, to address the payment concerns under the one-month timeline proposed by Mr Iddrisu.
The Education Minister has appealed for industrial harmony across public universities as both sides work towards resolving the dispute and restoring normal academic and administrative activities.
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