The Ghanaian teaching fraternity has been left angered, disappointed, and frustrated following the government’s decision to withhold the payment of the Teacher Professional Allowance (Continuous Professional Development Allowance – CPDA) for November 2025. This follows an official statement jointly issued by the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) on 24th November 2025.
According to the release, while November salaries have been processed and credited as scheduled, the much-anticipated professional allowance, which this year was merged with the Complementary Instruction Digital Support Allowance (CIDSA), has been suspended due to what authorities describe as “ongoing consultations.” The statement emphasised that the allowance has not been cancelled but merely deferred, with a new date to be communicated later. But for many teachers across the country, this explanation is not only insufficient and illogical, but it is also yet another insult to teachers.
After receiving what many educators describe as a “paltry 9 per cent base pay increment” earlier in the year, teachers had pinned their hopes on the allowance to cushion them ahead of the Christmas season. Many had already drawn budgets, settled debts in anticipation, and planned family expenses around the November payment — only to be hit by what they describe as “government betrayal.”
“What consultation is that?” several teachers questioned. Many believe the government should have completed whatever internal processes were necessary before announcing that the allowance would be paid at the end of November. Instead, the announcement and the last-minute reversal have been perceived as a deliberate act of unfairness — a pattern teachers say has repeated itself under successive governments.
Across staff rooms, WhatsApp platforms, and even under shades where teachers gather to cool off, anger is boiling over. Teachers accuse both the government and GES of treating them with deep disrespect and disregard.
Many of the teachers who spoke to The Trial News did not hold back their disappointment. One visibly frustrated teacher remarked. “Is it a crime to be a teacher these days or what? Politicians will never delay a single allowance due them, but when it comes to teachers, they are happy to see us suffer for nothing.”
Another fumed that if this is what the newly elected NDC government calls a “reset agenda,” then they should prepare to exit the Flagstaff House before 2028. “If this is the reset they promised, then they should start packing out before the next election comes.”
The fury is not directed at the government alone. Many teachers feel utterly abandoned by their union leaders — GNAT, NAGRAT, and CCT — whom they accuse of being too quiet, too passive, and too comfortable.
Teachers are demanding immediate and decisive action. They expect their unions to mount strong pressure on the government to release the allowance without further delay. Failure to do so, they warn, will trigger industrial action.
Some teachers are pushing for a nationwide sit-down strike if the allowance is not paid within days. Others are calling for a mass withdrawal from unions whose leaders “only speak when it suits them.”
The sense of betrayal is deep and widespread. Teachers argue that the allowance, paid once a year, is one of the few financial cushions they receive. With inflation rising, transportation costs climbing, and the cost of living worsening, the allowance has become a lifeline. Government’s last-minute deferral, they say, feels like a calculated “419 move” — a deception disguised as administrative delay.
As December approaches, the anger is unlikely to die down soon. What happens next will depend largely on how quickly the government addresses the issue and whether union leaders finally rise to the occasion to defend their members.
For now, one thing is clear: the patience of Ghana’s teachers is wearing dangerously thin.
The Trial News
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