CAGD Clarifies Teacher Promotion Payroll Validation, Pays 6,079 Processed Cases in September Salaries

The Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) has issued a press release addressing recent concerns raised by major teacher unions regarding alleged delays in placing promoted teachers on their appropriate salary scales.

The clarification follows joint statements from the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and the Pre-Tertiary Teachers’ Association of Ghana (PRETAG). 

​Reassuring the public and education sector stakeholders of its commitment to the timely and accurate payment of public sector salaries, CAGD explained that Ghana’s government payroll operates on two distinct main platforms.

One of them is the Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS), which is managed by the employer or management unit, such as the Ghana Education Service (GES), while the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Database 2 (IPPD2) is managed directly by the CAGD. 

​Under established procedures, the employer is responsible for initiating and effecting promotions within the HRMIS.

Once initiated, the employer must submit key validation documentation to the CAGD for payroll processing.

According to the press release, the required documents include “A promotion or change-of-grade input form duly completed and signed by an authorised preparer and an approver and a copy of the promotion and/or upgrading letter issued to the affected employee.”

CAGD emphasised that these submissions are essential safeguards designed to protect the public purse against fictitious promotions, unauthorised salary adjustments, and irregular payments. 

​The clarification comes on the back of a high-level stakeholders’ meeting held on August 31, 2026, chaired by the Minister of Education and attended by the Deputy Minister of Education, leadership of Teacher Unions, the Director-General of GES, and the Controller and Accountant-General.

During that meeting, it was agreed that GES would provide CAGD with master lists, promotion letters, and completed input forms as prerequisites to process and pay promotion arrears effective from January 1, 2026. 

​According to the statement, out of an expected total of 58,620 promotion cases, CAGD received 6,079 completed input forms and corresponding letters from GES as of September 22, 2026.

The Department confirmed that all 6,079 submitted cases have been fully processed and paid, including their applicable arrears, as part of the September 2026 salary run. 

​The Department clarified that every valid case forwarded by GES to date has been fully processed, and any outstanding payments relate solely to cases where GES has yet to submit the required documentation.

The statement further clarified that CAGD cannot legally validate or adjust salary scales without these mandatory files, and affected transactions remain suspended until proper documentation is received. 

​The Department therefore urged all stakeholders to engage constructively and refrain from public statements that could create public anxiety or misrepresent its role in payroll administration.

The Department reiterated its commitment to transparency, accountability, and the prompt processing of all legitimate teacher claims once valid documentation is received.

Bala Ali, ISD