The University of Ghana’s 2026/2027 academic calendar could be severely disrupted if the ongoing strike by the Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) extends into next week, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Gordon Awandare has warned.

Prof. Awandare said several critical university systems are currently not functioning because they are managed by GAUA members who are participating in the industrial action.

“The reality is that currently many of the systems are not working because they are managed by members of GAUA who are on strike,” he said.

“So the university can only do so much in terms of what we can make available in the absence of GAUA people.”

Speaking on Thursday, October 8, as the strike continued, Prof. Awandare said management was doing its best under the circumstances but acknowledged that the disruption was affecting the university’s operations.

He appealed to the government to urgently resolve the impasse to prevent further disruption to the academic year.

“What we would like to appeal for is that the government should try to resolve this as soon as possible so that the academic calendar is not disrupted so badly,” he said.

He added:

“Because if this goes into next week, then it means that the academic calendar is basically gone and we have to reorganize.”

The warning comes after the University of Ghana suspended first-semester registration for the 2026/2027 academic year because of the strike.

In a notice to students, management apologised for the difficulties with online registration and attributed them to the ongoing industrial action by university administrators.

“Management of the University of Ghana wishes to apologise to our cherished students, Level 100 and continuing students, for the current challenges with online registration for the first semester of the 2026-2027 academic year, which are caused by the ongoing industrial action by the university administrators.”

The disruption has affected students’ access to key administrative services, including registration and other university systems.

GAUA has been on strike for more than two months following failed negotiations with the government over the payment of negotiated and approved allowances.

The association is also demanding action on what it describes as disparities in allowances and conditions of service.

National General Secretary of GAUA, Charles Jojo Aidoo, said the association had been negotiating with the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission for about two months without significant progress.

“None of our grievances have been addressed. We had about six, seven grievances, and none of them has been addressed. The majority of them are not even monetary,” he said.

Mr Aidoo said GAUA represents professionals working in various capacities within universities, including medical doctors, lawyers, chartered accountants, auditors and procurement specialists.

“From 2008, we don't have any conditions of service,” he said.

The University of Ghana’s academic calendar scheduled Level 100 students to report from October 12 to 13, while continuing students were expected to report from October 15 to 18.

Teaching was scheduled to begin on October 19.

However, with key administrative systems affected and registration suspended, the university’s ability to maintain the existing calendar is increasingly dependent on the resolution of the GAUA strike.

GAUA first declared the strike on August 10 but later suspended the action after Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu assured members that their concerns would be addressed.

The industrial action resumed after negotiations stalled.

The association has maintained that it remains open to negotiations and could call off the strike if meaningful progress is made on its outstanding concerns.

The disruption at the University of Ghana comes amid a wider wave of industrial action in Ghana’s education sector, with a teachers’ strike also affecting teaching and learning in some basic and secondary schools.

Parents have expressed concern about the impact of the disruptions on students.

“I have invested a lot for my kids, and honestly speaking, I feel so much sad for this outcome, that after all the investment, my child will not go to school to learn,” one parent said.

For now, the University of Ghana has not announced a revised academic calendar. But Prof. Awandare’s warning means the October 19 start of teaching could be affected if the GAUA strike continues into next week.