The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has directed all public universities to reopen their campuses for the 2026/2027 academic year by Friday, October 16, despite any earlier decisions to postpone reopening.

In a letter dated October 13, 2026, and signed by Deputy Director-General Prof. Augustine Ocloo on behalf of the Director-General, the Commission said academic activities, particularly lectures, must commence on Monday, October 19.

The directive was issued on the authority of the Minister for Education.

GTEC has also directed university managements to ensure that halls of residence, academic libraries, departmental registration desks and other essential student support facilities are fully staffed and operational by Thursday, October 15.

Vice-Chancellors are required to submit comprehensive academic reopening readiness reports to the Commission by Wednesday, October 14.

The directive comes amid an industrial dispute involving the Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) and the Technical University Administrators Association of Ghana (TUSAAG).

GTEC acknowledged the administrative challenges arising from the industrial action but warned that the continued suspension of academic activities had far-reaching implications for students’ academic progression, university operations, tertiary education delivery and international academic partnerships.

The Commission said the government, through the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Finance and Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, had initiated engagements with GAUA’s leadership to facilitate the resolution of outstanding grievances.

It has asked members of GAUA to resume their administrative duties while good-faith negotiations continue.

“The Commission expects strict compliance with the stipulated timelines,” the letter stated.

GTEC further directed institutions that anticipate difficulties meeting the deadlines to notify the Commission immediately in writing, outlining the challenges and measures being taken to address them.

The directive follows a meeting between Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu and the leadership of GAUA and TUSAAG on Monday, October 12, during which the Minister expressed optimism that the strike would be called off in the coming days.

GAUA, however, said it needed to consult its members before announcing a decision.

The industrial action, which began on August 10 and was reactivated on September 15, centres on disparities in the Interim Market Premium (IMP) between teaching and non-teaching senior members.

The strike has disrupted administrative operations at public universities, including admissions, registration and accommodation allocation. The University of Ghana and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) have postponed their reopenings indefinitely.

Under the latest directive, universities are expected to reopen by October 16 and begin lectures three days later, while negotiations over the outstanding grievances continue.