A Communications Team member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Zigfred Acquah, says delays in paying promoted teachers are due to documentation and payroll validation issues, rather than a refusal by the government to pay.

Speaking in an interview with KMJ on Joy Prime’s Prime Morning on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, Mr Acquah said the government had not refused to pay teachers, but that payments were subject to strict payroll validation processes.

According to him, there are three key documents every promoted teacher must have before the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department can process their new salary.

He identified the first requirement as a promotion letter, which must indicate the effective date of the promotion and the teacher’s new salary entitlement.

He explained that the promotion letter is the first document the Controller considers before processing payment.

The second requirement, he said, is a change of grade/pay form. He explained that teachers promoted to positions such as Director, Assistant Director or Professional Teacher must have the official form as proof of their promotion before their salaries can be adjusted.

The third requirement is a master list from the Ghana Education Service (GES), which, he said, must contain a validated list of all promoted teachers.

“As I’m talking to you right now, GES has 58,620 teachers on the master list,” he stated.

Mr Acquah disclosed that as of September 22, 2026, 6,079 of the 58,620 teachers had been paid, including arrears dating back to January 2026.

He said the remaining 52,541 teachers were yet to receive their promotion arrears.

Mr Acquah explained that the delay affecting the remaining teachers was due to incomplete documentation and payroll validation.

“The Controller and Accountant General’s Department is willing to pay all teachers, unless there are documentation and payroll validation issues,” he stressed.

He added that the absence of the required documents could create opportunities for payroll fraud.

His comments come amid threats by teacher unions to embark on a nationwide strike over unpaid promotion arrears.