The Education Minister, Haruna Iddrisu, has initiated a formal appeal to the Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) and the Technical University Senior Administrators Association of Ghana (TUSAAG) to suspend their industrial action and grant one month to resolve outstanding payment concerns amongst university administrators across Ghana.
Speaking at a meeting on Monday, August 17, Mr Iddrisu stated that government is committed to addressing the issues that triggered the strike. He emphasized the need for a resolution and indicated that the Ministry of Finance requires accurate beneficiary data to facilitate payment processing.
A major sticking point is the outstanding payment of a one-time research allowance to non-teaching senior staff at public universities. Mr Iddrisu directed the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) to provide data by 10 a.m. on Tuesday, August 18, to enable the Ministry of Finance to verify the figures and begin the payment process.
According to the Minister, the Finance Ministry necessitates reliable data before funds can be released, and he discussed the matter with Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Ampem, who stressed the importance of comprehensive beneficiary information. The Finance Ministry’s request is to ensure accurate and audited data is available.
Furthermore, Mr Iddrisu referenced an April 24, 2026 letter from the Deputy Finance Minister, which he described as containing both ‘friendly and unfriendly’ elements. He suggested that the concerns raised in the letter could be handled separately while urging the university administrators to return to work.
The recent letter from GTEC, which he described as containing both ‘friendly and unfriendly’ elements, further underscores the ongoing dispute. The GTEC directed certain senior management officials to return to work, arguing that they are not eligible to participate in industrial action.
The directive covers Vice-Chancellors, Pro Vice-Chancellors, Registrars, Directors of Finance, Directors of Internal Audit, and other executive and managerial officials.
GTEC has given Vice-Chancellors 48 hours to submit the names of senior management officials who fail to comply with the directive. Following Monday’s meeting, the leadership of GAUA requested 48 hours to consult its members on the Education Minister’s appeal. The association is expected to communicate its decision by Wednesday, August 19th. If members agree to suspend the strike, government would have until September 17, 2026, to address the payment concerns under the one-month timeline proposed by Mr Iddrisu.
GTEC has stated that the directive is intended to facilitate payment to senior management officials who are not authorized to participate in the strike. The Ministry of Finance, as part of its efforts to resolve the dispute, has appealed for industrial harmony across public universities.
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Source: Adom Online
