The government has assured members of the Coalition of Unpaid Teachers that steps are underway to settle their 17-month salary arrears, with payments expected to begin in May 2026 under a phased arrangement.

The assurance comes after the group staged a protest at the Ministry of Finance in Ghana, where they presented a petition over what they described as months of neglect and non-payment of salaries.

Prior to that, the coalition had submitted a similar petition to the Presidency. The document was received by presidential staffer Dr Samuel Ayeh, who indicated that their concerns would be addressed.

Speaking to the teachers at the Finance Ministry, Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Ampem Nyarko reaffirmed government’s commitment to resolving the matter, noting that arrangements had already been made to begin the payments.

According to him, the arrears will be cleared in stages, with affected teachers receiving four months’ worth of salaries each month until the full amount is paid.

“Even though the Finance Minister is out of town, he instructed me to conclude the processes and I wrote to the Controller to start the payment of your arrears. That payment will start from May.

In May, you will receive four months of arrears, in June you will receive another four months, in July another four months until the payments are concluded,” he assured.

The planned payments are expected to ease the burden on the affected teachers, many of whom have expressed frustration over the long delay in receiving their salaries.