The Central Regional Chairman of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Godwin Yaw Andam, has called for the introduction of a 13th-month salary for teachers, arguing that improved remuneration is necessary to motivate, retain and recognise educators for their contribution to national development.

Speaking at the 2026 World Teachers’ Day celebration in Assin Fosu, where outstanding members of the association were also rewarded for their contributions, Mr Andam said the demand was rooted in the difficult conditions under which many teachers continue to work.

He said teachers report to overcrowded classrooms, work in communities with inadequate basic facilities and often contend with shortages of teaching and learning materials.

“The Ghanaian teacher has demonstrated remarkable resilience,” he said, adding that teachers often make personal sacrifices to ensure that their learners are not left behind.

He noted that teachers had also had to adapt to curriculum reforms, digital technology and new approaches to teaching and learning while continuing to perform their responsibilities despite these challenges.

“We must be careful not to celebrate teachers’ resilience whilst ignoring the conditions that make such resilience necessary,” Mr Andam stated.

Call for 13th-month salary

Against this background, the GNAT chairman made a strong case for an annual bonus for teachers, which he described as a 13th-month salary.

“I want to make a strong case for the introduction of the 13th month salary for teachers in Ghana,” he said.

A 13th-month salary is an additional annual payment equivalent to one month’s salary, paid on top of an employee’s regular 12 monthly salaries, typically once a year.

Mr Andam said the proposal should not be regarded as an unnecessary privilege but as part of a broader strategy to improve teacher motivation, retention, recognition and welfare.

He explained that, if appropriately structured and negotiated, the payment could provide teachers with additional financial relief to meet obligations such as school fees, family expenses, professional development and home improvements.

Mr Andam therefore called on the government to continue engaging teachers on the proposal and other measures to improve their conditions of service.

“A teacher should not be remembered only during budget discussions or teachers’ meetings. A teacher must remain central to national development policy,” he said.

Broader welfare concerns

Amid the ongoing teachers’ strike, the Central Regional GNAT Chairman also called for sustained attention to competitive remuneration, good working conditions, equitable teacher employment, professional development, adequate teaching and learning resources, accommodation for teachers in deprived areas and career progression.

He urged the government to engage the teaching profession honestly and constructively to find sustainable solutions to the challenges facing teachers.

Mr Andam said respect, reward and recognition should form the basis of efforts to improve the teaching profession.

“If we get these three things right, we will not only improve the lives of teachers, we will improve the future of Ghana,” he said.

60 years of recognition for teachers

This year’s World Teachers’ Day celebration was particularly significant, he noted, as it marks 60 years since the adoption of the 1966 ILO-UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers.

Mr Andam said the international instrument recognised the importance of teachers and called for conditions that would enable them to effectively discharge their professional responsibilities.

Six decades on, he questioned whether enough had been done to provide teachers with the status, conditions and support required to perform their roles effectively.

He urged stakeholders to ensure that the celebration goes beyond speeches and ceremonies and translates into renewed national commitment to teachers.

“You are building lives,” he said.

Mr Andam reminded teachers of the wider impact of their work, urging them not to underestimate their influence on the lives of learners.

He noted that a child struggling to read could become an author, while one struggling with mathematics could become an engineer.

He said a quiet child at the back of a classroom could eventually become a scientist, while a child who had lost confidence could become a future leader if a teacher believed in them, emphasising that the future of Ghana depends on the work teachers do in classrooms across the country.

Theme

The 2026 World Teachers’ Day celebration was held under the theme, “Empowering Teachers, Architects of the Future.”

Addressing the theme as the keynote speaker, Vice Principal of the Foso College of Education, Dr Regina Sally Maison, expressed hope for improved working conditions for teachers, stressing the need for an environment that supports their professional growth, wellbeing and effectiveness in the classroom.

She said strengthening the conditions under which teachers work would not only boost their morale but also contribute to better learning outcomes for pupils and students.

Technology and continuous learning

Representing the Central Regional Director of Education, Chief Inspector of Schools Patricia Klutse urged teachers to remain committed to continuous learning and embrace emerging approaches to teaching and learning.

She stressed the need for teachers to keep pace with technological advancements and evolving educational methods, particularly as digital tools increasingly become part of the teaching and learning process.

She encouraged teachers to take advantage of opportunities to upgrade their knowledge and skills, saying continuous professional development was essential to helping them remain effective in an increasingly technology-driven educational environment.

She further urged teachers to be open to new ideas and approaches that could make lessons more engaging, inclusive and responsive to the changing needs of learners.

Teacher accommodation

Standing in for the Central Regional Minister, Municipal Chief Executive of Assin Fosu, Alhaji Baba Gariba Adams, pledged closer collaboration between the Assembly and the Ghana Education Service to address challenges affecting teachers and students in the municipality.

He highlighted the government’s “Teacher Dabre” initiative, which is aimed at addressing the accommodation challenges faced by teachers, particularly those posted to areas where suitable housing remains limited.

Alhaji Adams disclosed that the government had already directed Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) across the country to make land available to facilitate the construction of accommodation under the initiative.

He stressed that his Assembly would work with the Ghana Education Service to support efforts to improve teachers’ welfare and create an environment that enables them to perform effectively.

Teachers’ strike

The calls for improved teacher welfare come at a time when teachers across the country are on strike over concerns about their conditions of service.

The development has brought renewed attention to longstanding demands for better remuneration, improved working conditions and stronger welfare support for teachers.

As stakeholders marked World Teachers’ Day in Assin Fosu, speakers stressed that recognising teachers must go beyond annual celebrations, with concrete measures needed to motivate, retain and support those at the heart of Ghana’s education system.

With the ongoing industrial action disrupting teaching and learning, the calls for dialogue and a sustainable resolution to the concerns of teachers are gaining added urgency.