The government has made fresh commitments to striking teachers, with Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu expressing hope that teaching and learning will resume by next week.

Speaking after a meeting with the leadership of the teacher unions on October 2, the minister said a government team constituted on the directive of President John Dramani Mahama held extensive discussions with the unions to find an early resolution to the strike.

The negotiations focused on three main issues: promotion arrears, the proposed 20% deprived area allowance, and renewing teachers’ expired conditions of service.

On promotion arrears, the minister said all promoted teachers are expected to receive their new grades by October 30, 2025.

He added that the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department would begin validating data for up to 51,000 teachers from Monday and prepare a supplementary payment schedule for them.

The remaining affected teachers would have their arrears added to their October salaries, while arrears dating back to January 2026 are also being processed.

“Let me repeat that we will not renege on this pledge as government. We will honour that, and we will use that to persuade our teachers to return from Monday by considering calling off their industrial action,” he said.

On the 20% deprived area allowance, Iddrisu said a committee involving teacher unions and the Ghana Statistical Service had been established to determine eligible teachers and communities.

He explained that the allowance would be location-specific, meaning teachers could lose the benefit if they were transferred from a designated deprived area to an urban school.

“We need to work out a mechanism that does not allow for the abuse of it,” he said.

The third issue concerns the expired collective agreement. Iddrisu said the unions had been invited to resume negotiations at the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission on Tuesday, with an expectation that the process would be completed within a week.

He said the unions would consult their members on the proposals and renewed his appeal for teachers to return to the classroom.