Pay Us Our Legacy Arrears -Teachers Fume At Gov’t

The plight of many teachers owed the infamous Legacy Arrears lingers on months after government indicated it has paid all teachers. In April 2020, A Deputy Education Minister, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum stated that “The GES is doing everything possible to clear the legacy arrears,”. Four months after, the teachers are still complaining about the issue. Discussions on the subject on various teachers platforms shows government must speed up the payment process.  

What is Legacy Arrears?

The call for the Legacy Arrears to be paid died when the COVID-19 lockdown and restrictions were intensified. However, teachers are calling on government to settle the outstanding since it is long overdue.

Teachers would appreciate it if government keeps them updated every step through the process rather than promising and keeping mute over it for long.

The unions argued in April that they were aware that the arrears have been verified and approved for payment, but government was moving at a slow pace to get it paid.

Some some 9,410 victims  of the Legacy Arrears were also submitted by the Coalition of Concerned Teachers – Ghana (CCT-GH). However, as at June 2020 a total of 45,512 names of teachers had been captured as those owed legacy arrears.

Teachers seem to be getting uncomfortable with the delays, and unfulfilled promises made by the president. They have therefore reminded him of his promise to teachers before the 2016 elections.

Government has insisted that not less than 91% of the said arrears have been paid. The challenge with reconciling the data is that the teacher unions have a record that is different from that of government as well.

Teachers in the public sector would have wished that their outstanding salaries (Legacy Arrears) would have been fully paid by now. Sadly, government promises have not had a corresponding action to show total commitment.

The more government delays , the more teachers who are yet to receive their earnings become unhappy. Teachers are again reminding government of its duty to pay the Legacy Arrears without additional delay.

The more payment is delayed, the more the money loses value (Time value of money).

Others have called on government to take proactive steps to make a 100% payment. If this fails, teacher unions may consider a strike action as soon as school reopens to press home their demand for the payment of the final trench of the albatross Legacy Arrears.

With the 2020 elections around the corner, government must speed up the processing of the arrears outstanding.

The Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service and the Controller and Accountant Generals Department have their work cut out.