Dr Clement Apaak, the deputy Education Minister, has announced a 20% salary top-up for teachers under the ‘Teacher Dabre’ Programme.
According to the Deputy Minister, teachers who accept posting to rural and deprived communities under the ‘Teacher Dabre’ Programme will receive a 20% salary top-up.
The deputy minister made this known during a courtesy call by top awardees of the Basic Education Certificate Examination.
He stressed that the Mahama government is determined to bridge inequalities in the country’s education system.
Dr Clement Apaak further added that under the government’s ‘Teacher Dabre’ Programme, teachers posted to rural and hard-to-reach communities will receive accommodation support in addition to the financial incentive.
He explained that the ‘Teacher Dabre’ policy is designed to make rural postings more attractive to guarantee that students in underserved communities have the same prospect to excel as their colleagues in urban centres.
“The President has a program that is going to reward teachers who take teaching positions in rural areas. These teachers would get 20% on top of their gross salary as a form of motivation,” he said.
Meanwhile, about 250 teachers in the Northern Region who were recruited in 2023 and posted to schools across the region have protested their over 25 months of unpaid salaries.
The group of teachers petitioned the Northern Regional Minister, Ali Adolf John, to intervene.
According to the Teachers, their situation is a grave professional and financial injustice as they have not received their Staff ID issuance and unpaid salaries.
In their petition, they detailed that after working for over 25 months, about 250 teachers in the region and roughly 400 nationwide have been affected.
They further stressed that the situation has worsened by the Regional Education Director claims that their appointments are “fake”.
According to them, their appointments were genuine and followed due procedures with their appointment letters, regional posting letters, signed upon assumption of duty letters from various districts and institutions.
Part of the petition stated, “Despite our dedicated service of over 25 months, the Regional Education Director recently stated on Sagani TV that our appointments are ‘fake’. We vehemently reject this claim”.
The teachers highlighted that they have been unfairly confused with appointment revocations after the 7th December 2024 elections
“They referenced a revocation letter dated 17th February 2025 with reference number GES/HRMD/SEC/REV.25/01, which they said targeted appointments made after the 7th December 2024 election. The petitioners argued that because their appointments date back to 2023, they should not have been affected by the directive.
“They also cited a reinstatement letter dated 5th March 2025 with reference number GES/DG/247/25/ED056, stating that it equally did not apply to their cohort”.
“As part of their proposed solution, the group pointed to a precedent by the Ghana Education Service headquarters, referencing a letter dated 12th December 2025 (GES/HQ/PR/25/115) which, according to them, facilitated the onboarding of the 2024 year group through the issuance of new appointment letters”, reports suggested.
The petition further added, “It is deeply demoralising that we, who assumed duty in 2023, remain unpaid while college teachers posted in 2024 and even recruits hired after the 7th December 2024 period have been fully processed and paid,”
The teachers in their petition are calling for the Northern Regional Minister to coordinate with the Minister of Education for their staff ID generation and facilitate payment of all outstanding arrears.