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Status: Statement verified as a political position; claims independently distinguished from established facts

The Minority Caucus in Parliament, through the Committee on Employment, Labour Relations and Pensions, has issued a statement responding to the nationwide industrial action declared by the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG).

The statement, signed by Hon. Frank Asiedu Bekoe, MP for Suhum and Deputy Ranking Member of the Committee on Employment, Labour Relations and Pensions, identifies three issues raised by the unions: delays in negotiating a new Collective Agreement, incomplete placement of promoted teachers and the Deprived Area Allowance.

The Minority calls on government to immediately engage the unions, direct CAGD to complete the placement of promoted teachers with arrears dating from January 2026, and implement the 20 percent Deprived Area Allowance.

These are the Minority Caucus’s demands and characterisations. They should not be presented as independent findings of Parliament or as established legal conclusions.

The Minority also links the teacher dispute to the 2026 BECE and WASSCE results. Available official examination data, however, show a mixed performance picture rather than a uniform decline across all core subjects. WAEC reported that 62.40 percent of WASSCE candidates obtained A1-C6 in English Language, while the corresponding figures were 60.75 percent for Core Mathematics, 62.08 percent for Integrated Science and 78.04 percent for Social Studies. Mathematics, Integrated Science and Social Studies all improved on their 2025 A1-C6 figures, while English declined.

For the BECE, CSSPS reported that approximately 565,000 of about 620,000 candidates qualified for placement, while about 55,000 did not meet the placement requirement, with failure in English Language or Mathematics identified as a key criterion.

Key Takeaways

• The Parliamentary Minority has responded to the nationwide teacher strike declared by GNAT, NAGRAT and PRETAG.
• The Minority supports immediate engagement between government and the teacher unions.
• It is demanding completion of promotion salary placement and payment of arrears from January 2026.
• It is also calling for implementation of the 20 percent Deprived Area Allowance.
• The Minority has connected teacher welfare and industrial relations to wider concerns about learning outcomes.
• Official 2026 WASSCE data show mixed performance, rather than a decline in every core subject.
• About 55,000 2026 BECE candidates did not initially qualify for second-cycle placement under the stated placement criteria.
• The statement is a political position of the Parliamentary Minority and should be distinguished from official government, GES, CAGD, FWSC and WAEC positions.

In Brief

The Minority Caucus in Parliament has called on government to urgently resolve the issues behind the nationwide teacher strike.

The Caucus says the concerns raised by GNAT, NAGRAT and PRETAG relate to previously negotiated conditions of service rather than newly introduced demands.

It has asked government to conclude the Collective Agreement negotiations, complete the salary placement of promoted teachers with January 2026 arrears, and implement the 20 percent Deprived Area Allowance.

The Minority has also used the 2026 examination results to argue that teacher welfare should be treated as an education-quality issue.

However, official WAEC data show that the 2026 WASSCE results were mixed. English performance declined, while Mathematics, Integrated Science and Social Studies recorded higher A1-C6 proportions than in 2025.

Introduction

Ghana’s teacher industrial dispute has attracted a fresh political response following the commencement of nationwide industrial action by GNAT, NAGRAT and PRETAG.

In a press statement dated 25 September 2026, the Parliamentary Minority Caucus Committee on Employment, Labour Relations and Pensions said it had taken note of the unions’ declaration of an indefinite industrial action.

The Minority identified the same three broad areas that the unions have placed at the centre of the dispute:

1. negotiations for a new Collective Agreement;
2. salary placement for teachers who successfully completed the promotion process; and
3. the Deprived Area Allowance.

The statement then broadened the discussion by linking teacher working conditions with educational outcomes and the recently released 2026 BECE and WASSCE results.

➡️ Related: [GNAT, NAGRAT and PRETAG Declare Nationwide Strike Over Teacher Salaries and Allowances]
➡️ Related: [Education Ministry to Meet Teacher Unions on Monday as Strike Begins]

The Three Issues Raised by the Minority

1. Collective Agreement Negotiations

The Minority says the delay in concluding a new Collective Agreement is one of the principal grievances behind the strike.

It argues that the issue should be addressed through direct engagement between government and the teacher unions.

The current dispute therefore involves not only individual salary placements but also broader conditions of service for pre-tertiary teachers.

The unions have similarly identified the renewal of their Collective Agreement as one of the reasons for the industrial action.

➡️ Related: [Teacher Collective Agreement in Ghana: What It Means for Teachers]
➡️ Related: [GNAT, NAGRAT and PRETAG: Understanding Ghana’s Teacher Unions]

2. Promotion Placement and Arrears

The Minority is also demanding the immediate placement of teachers who have successfully completed the promotion process.

Its statement calls on government to instruct CAGD to place all affected teachers and pay their arrears from January 2026.

This position follows the 31 August engagement between government and the teacher unions, during which the parties agreed that the effective date for the substantive appointment of promoted teachers would be January 2026.

The August arrangement also provided for placement on the appropriate salary scales by September, with a supplementary payroll for affected teachers who were not captured by the end of September.

The unions have subsequently said implementation has not fully met their expectations.

➡️ Related: [Teacher Promotion 2026: January Effective Date and Salary Placement Explained]
➡️ Related: [Teacher Promotion Arrears 2026: What Affected Teachers Should Check]

The Deprived Area Allowance

The third major issue highlighted by the Minority is the Deprived Area Allowance.

The Minority says the allowance is provided for under Section 17(2) of the 2024 Collective Agreement and is demanding implementation of a 20 percent allowance for teachers serving in hard-to-reach communities.

The 2024 GES Collective Agreement contains a provision requiring the Ministry of Education and Ghana Education Service to review the Deprived Area Report, after which the teacher unions would negotiate the figures with the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission.

The Minority’s call therefore concerns implementation of the agreed process and the allowance figure it identifies in its statement.

➡️ Related: [Deprived Area Allowance for Teachers in Ghana: What the 2024 Agreement Says]
➡️ Related: [Teacher Welfare and Conditions of Service in Ghana]

Minority Links Teacher Welfare to 2026 Examination Outcomes

One of the strongest parts of the Minority statement is its attempt to connect the teacher dispute with student learning outcomes.

The Caucus argues that the teacher strike should be considered alongside what it describes as poor or worrying results in the 2026 BECE and WASSCE.

Its statement uses the phrase “massive and historic failure” and argues that teacher frustration can affect learners.

That is a political interpretation rather than an established causal finding.

What the 2026 WASSCE Data Actually Show

WAEC’s official figures provide a more differentiated picture.

WAEC therefore reported a decline in English Language performance, while the other three core subjects improved compared with 2025.

This means that the 2026 WASSCE results can accurately be described as mixed, rather than as a uniform “mass failure” across the four core subjects.

WAEC also reported a four-year decline in the proportion obtaining A1-C6 in English Language, from 73.11 percent in 2023 to 62.40 percent in 2026.

What the 2026 BECE Data Show

The BECE picture is also more complex than the phrase “mass failure” suggests.

The CSSPS Secretariat reported that about 565,000 of approximately 620,000 candidates met the requirements for placement into second-cycle institutions.

About 55,000 candidates did not qualify for placement under the stated criteria, including the requirement not to fail English Language or Mathematics.

The CSSPS data also indicated that approximately 17 percent of candidates achieved aggregates between 6 and 18, while about 35 percent achieved aggregates between 6 and 24.

These figures are important to the public discussion, but they do not by themselves establish that teacher welfare disputes caused the examination outcomes.

What the Minority Is Demanding

The Minority’s three demands are:

A. Immediate negotiations

The Caucus wants government to immediately engage the teacher unions and conclude negotiations on the Collective Agreement.

B. Full promotion arrears

It wants CAGD to place all promoted teachers on their appropriate salary scales and pay arrears dating from January 2026.

C. Deprived Area Allowance

It wants government to implement the 20 percent Deprived Area Allowance for teachers serving in hard-to-reach communities.

These demands are the Minority Caucus’s stated position in response to the industrial action.

The Political Dimension of the Statement

The statement goes beyond labour relations and enters the broader political debate over the government’s education record.

The Minority criticises the government for what it describes as failure to honour commitments to teachers.

It also invokes President John Dramani Mahama’s campaign and policy commitments, arguing that teachers expected improved conditions of service under the government’s programme.

Because this is a statement from the Parliamentary Minority, these characterisations should be understood as political criticism from an opposition parliamentary caucus, rather than as neutral findings about government performance.

The statement also uses the phrase “Ghana Jollof News” in criticising the government’s communication and priorities.

EducateGhana presents that wording as part of the Minority’s political rhetoric rather than adopting it as an editorial description.

The Monday Government-Union Meeting

The Minority statement comes as government prepares for another engagement with the teacher unions.

The Ministry of Education has announced that it will meet GNAT, NAGRAT and PRETAG on Monday, 28 September 2026, with the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission and Controller and Accountant-General’s Department expected to participate.

The meeting follows the commencement of the nationwide strike on 25 September.

The immediate focus is therefore likely to remain on promotion placement, arrears, the Collective Agreement and the Deprived Area Allowance.

➡️ Related: [Education Ministry to Meet Teacher Unions on Monday]
➡️ Related: [Teacher Strike 2026: What Happens Next for Schools and Teachers]

Explicit Guidance for Affected Teachers

Affected teachers should distinguish between union directives, government announcements and political statements.

Teachers should:

1. Follow official directives from their recognised union leadership concerning the industrial action.
2. Keep promotion and appointment records, including promotion results, appointment letters and payslips.
3. Monitor salary statements for changes in rank and salary scale.
4. Check any arrears payment carefully, particularly the applicable effective date and period covered.
5. Avoid submitting unnecessary applications where the established placement arrangement provides for automatic placement.
6. Verify information from official sources before acting on WhatsApp, Facebook or other social-media claims.
7. Monitor the outcome of the Monday government-union meeting for any new directive concerning the strike.
8. Teachers serving in areas affected by the Deprived Area Allowance issue should retain relevant posting and service records and await official guidance on implementation and eligibility.

What Teachers and Parents Should Watch

The next few days are likely to be important for the education sector.

Teachers should watch for:

• the outcome of the Monday meeting;
• any agreement on outstanding promotion placements;
• the status of January 2026 arrears;
• developments concerning the Collective Agreement;
• clarification on the Deprived Area Allowance;
• any directive on continuation or suspension of the strike; and
• any implications for the school calendar.

Parents and students should similarly rely on official communications from the Ghana Education Service, Ministry of Education and the teacher unions concerning school operations.

Frequently Asked Questions

What has the Parliamentary Minority said about the teacher strike?

The Minority says government should urgently resolve the issues raised by GNAT, NAGRAT and PRETAG, particularly the Collective Agreement, promotion placement and the Deprived Area Allowance.

What does the Minority want concerning promoted teachers?

It wants CAGD to place all affected teachers on their appropriate salary scales and pay arrears dating from January 2026.

What is the Minority’s position on the Deprived Area Allowance?

It is calling for implementation of a 20 percent allowance for teachers in hard-to-reach communities.

Did the Minority link the strike to the 2026 examination results?

Yes. The statement explicitly links teacher conditions and the industrial dispute to what it describes as poor 2026 BECE and WASSCE outcomes.

Do official WASSCE figures show failure across all subjects?

No. WAEC’s 2026 data show mixed performance. English Language A1-C6 performance declined to 62.40 percent, while Mathematics, Integrated Science and Social Studies recorded higher A1-C6 proportions than in 2025.

How many BECE candidates did not initially qualify for placement?

The CSSPS Secretariat reported that about 55,000 candidates did not meet the placement requirements, out of approximately 620,000 candidates who sat the examination.

What happens next?

The Ministry of Education is expected to meet the teacher unions on Monday, 28 September, with FWSC and CAGD expected to participate.

Conclusion

The Minority Caucus has entered the debate over Ghana’s teacher strike with a call for immediate government action on promotion arrears, the Collective Agreement and the Deprived Area Allowance.

Its statement also places the industrial dispute within the wider conversation about learning outcomes and the 2026 BECE and WASSCE results.

The examination evidence, however, requires careful interpretation. The 2026 WASSCE results show a mixed pattern, with English Language declining while Mathematics, Integrated Science and Social Studies improved compared with 2025.

The BECE data likewise show that while about 55,000 candidates did not initially qualify for placement, approximately 565,000 met the stated placement requirements.

The next significant development will be the Monday, 28 September engagement between government and the teacher unions.

For teachers, the immediate concerns remain promotion placement, arrears, conditions of service and the Deprived Area Allowance. For policymakers, the dispute also raises broader questions about the relationship between teacher working conditions, industrial relations and educational outcomes.

About the Author

Ferdinand Ellis is a Ghanaian education blogger, curriculum specialist, researcher, education policy analyst and educator. He is the Founder and Editor of EducateGhana.com, Ghana’s Education Intelligence Platform, and writes on education policy, teacher welfare, curriculum implementation, teacher education, TVET and Ghana’s education system.

Editorial Note

This article reports on a press statement issued by the Parliamentary Minority Caucus on 25 September 2026.

Claims and characterisations made by the Minority are attributed to the Caucus and are not presented as independent findings of EducateGhana.com.

Where the statement makes claims concerning examination performance, EducateGhana has provided available WAEC and CSSPS data separately to give readers the relevant context.

Sources

• Minority Caucus, Parliament of Ghana, Press Statement, 25 September 2026.
• West African Examinations Council, 2026 WASSCE performance statistics.
• Ghana News Agency, 2026 BECE results and examination statistics.
• CSSPS placement data reported by MyJoyOnline.
• 2024 GES Collective Agreement provisions on allowances.