The Ghana Education Service (GES) has outlined the indicators it will use to identify deprived communities and schools eligible for the proposed 20% basic salary allowance for teachers working in underserved areas.
The move comes as the service begins validating data submitted by the Ministry of Education to determine the communities, schools and teachers that may benefit from the policy.
In a letter dated October 19, 2026, and addressed to all regional directors of education, GES instructed regional offices to verify information on the identified communities and schools, including the number of teachers currently working there and those expected to be posted to the affected schools.
The verification exercise forms part of preparations to implement the incentive announced by President John Dramani Mahama for education and health workers who accept postings to deprived and underserved locations.
Under the proposed arrangement, eligible workers are expected to receive an additional 20% of their basic salaries as an incentive to serve in communities facing significant challenges in accessing essential services and infrastructure.
11 criteria GES will use to identify deprived communities
The assessment framework covers access to basic amenities, household living conditions, poverty levels and educational needs. These indicators are intended to establish the extent of deprivation and identify communities that require additional incentives to attract and retain qualified teachers.
The criteria communicated by GES include the following:
| No. | Criterion | Indicator of deprivation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electricity | Households have no access to grid electricity. |
| 2 | Safe drinking water | Residents rely on unimproved water sources or travel for more than 30 minutes to access water. |
| 3 | Financial services | The community is located more than 5km from financial services. |
| 4 | Healthcare | The community is situated more than 5km from health facilities. |
| 5 | Police services | Residents live more than 5km from a police post. |
| 6 | Telecommunications | The community lacks mobile network or internet connectivity. |
| 7 | Housing | More than 50% of households live in non-durable houses. |
| 8 | Sanitation | More than 50% of households use unimproved sanitation facilities. |
| 9 | Poverty levels | Residents experience significant deprivation in living conditions, education, healthcare and employment. |
| 10 | Teacher availability | The pupil-trained teacher ratio indicates an educational disadvantage. |
| 11 | Access to basic education | Pupils travel an average distance of more than 3km to school. |
The indicators show that eligibility will not necessarily depend on whether a school is situated in a rural area. Instead, the assessment will consider the specific disadvantages experienced by communities and the challenges residents face in accessing essential services and education.
For example, communities without electricity, reliable sources of safe drinking water, telecommunications and nearby healthcare facilities could be assessed under the relevant indicators.
Likewise, locations where pupils travel long distances to attend school or where the supply of trained teachers is inadequate may qualify for consideration under the educational criteria.
However, meeting one of the indicators does not automatically guarantee eligibility. The final classification of communities and schools will depend on the official verification and approval process.
Housing, sanitation and poverty also matter
The assessment also considers household living conditions. Communities where more than half of households occupy non-durable housing or depend on unimproved sanitation facilities may be classified as disadvantaged under the framework.
Poverty levels will also be assessed across several dimensions, including health, education, employment and general living conditions.
These considerations are expected to provide a broader picture of deprivation beyond geographical location, helping authorities identify communities where difficult living conditions could discourage teachers from accepting or maintaining postings.
The educational indicators are particularly important in addressing unequal teacher distribution across the country. Schools in underserved communities often face difficulties attracting and retaining qualified teachers, while pupils may have to cover considerable distances to access basic education.
Teacher unions have called for implementation
The proposed allowance has been a longstanding concern for teacher unions, which have maintained that additional financial incentives are necessary to encourage teachers to accept postings to remote and hard-to-reach communities.
In September 2026, Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG) President King Ali Awudu said the deprived-area allowance had remained unimplemented since 2009, highlighting the challenges confronting teachers serving in remote locations.
President Mahama announced the proposed incentive in September, indicating that eligible education and health workers accepting postings to deprived and underserved districts would receive an additional 20% of their basic salaries.
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has since emphasized the need to validate the relevant data to establish the qualifying communities and beneficiaries before implementation.
GES sets October 23 deadline for verification
As part of the ongoing exercise, GES has directed all Regional Directors of Education to verify the information provided and electronically submit the completed data to the Director-General by Friday, October 23, 2026.
The exercise requires regional offices to confirm the names of identified communities, the schools located in those areas, the number of teachers currently serving in the schools and the number expected to be posted there.
The verification process is expected to help the service establish an accurate record of qualifying locations and determine the number of teachers who could benefit from the proposed policy.
For teachers hoping to receive the allowance, the key issue is whether their schools and communities will be included in the final list approved by the relevant authorities.
Until GES and the Ministry of Education officially confirm the qualifying locations, the verification exercise should not be taken as confirmation that payments have commenced or that every school meeting an individual criterion will automatically benefit.