The Coalition of Unpaid Newly Posted Teachers has secured a 30-day assurance from the Ministry of Finance for the payment of their long-overdue salaries.
On Tuesday, September 30, the teachers—comprising over 4,000 graduates from Colleges of Education and universities—staged a peaceful protest to demand immediate payment of salary arrears and the issuance of staff IDs.
The demonstration began at Obra Spot and continued to the Jubilee House, where a petition was presented and received by Bridget Otto. The group then marched to the Ministry of Finance before converging at Independence Square, where they met with Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu.
Receiving the petition on behalf of Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Nyarko Ampem assured the coalition that their grievances would be resolved within the next 30 days. He added that the Finance Minister would soon present a budget in Parliament that includes provisions to settle the arrears.
Mr. Iddrisu also pledged to work closely with the Finance Ministry to fast-track the necessary processes to ensure all affected teachers are fully absorbed and paid.
According to the coalition, some graduates from Colleges of Education have worked for 13 months without pay, while university graduates have gone nine months without salaries. Many also lack staff IDs, a requirement for payment.
“We’re waiting patiently for the 30 days, but if the promise is broken, we’ll return stronger,” said Simon Kofi, a leader of the coalition.
He disclosed that over 530 teachers from Colleges of Education still lack staff IDs, while more than 2,000 who have IDs are yet to receive a single salary. Among university graduate teachers, over 2,000 also remain without staff IDs.
Source: Kwabena Nsiah
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