The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) together with the Pre-Tertiary Teacher Unions have renewed their appeal to the government to begin paying the long-awaited 20 percent deprived area allowance to teachers posted to rural and underserved communities starting in September 2026.
The unions are calling on President John Dramani Mahama to issue an immediate directive to ensure the allowance is implemented, noting that although it has been part of teachers’ conditions of service for more than a decade, it has never been paid.
According to the unions, educators serving in deprived areas continue to work under difficult conditions, including poor road infrastructure, inadequate housing, limited access to basic social amenities, and long commuting distances to their schools.
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Ghana currently has more than 300,000 teachers, with over 100,000 reportedly stationed in rural and underserved communities where both living and teaching conditions remain challenging.
Many of these teachers spend hours travelling each day, cutting into valuable teaching time, while others must cross rivers and navigate poor road networks before reaching their classrooms.
The unions argue that these hardships make it imperative for the government to finally implement the allowance, which teacher unions first proposed in 2009 to compensate educators working in difficult environments.
Although the policy was later incorporated into the conditions of service for teachers, successive governments have failed to put it into effect. The current administration has, however, consistently pledged to honour the commitment.
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Speaking on the matter, NAGRAT President Jacob Anaba expressed disappointment over the prolonged delay despite repeated assurances from government.
Vice President of the Pre-Tertiary Teacher Unions, Adokwei Awulley, also urged the government to move beyond promises and begin disbursing the allowance without further delay.
The unions stressed that teachers have waited long enough and now expect practical action instead of continued assurances.
“The period for making promises is over. Teachers now expect implementation,” the unions stated.
Their renewed appeal comes after the Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, assured Parliament on July 2, 2026, that the government remains committed to introducing the 20 percent rural and deprived area allowance as part of efforts to improve the welfare of teachers.
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During his address to Parliament, the Minister also announced that teachers who accept postings to rural and underserved communities would become eligible for study leave with pay after completing two years of service instead of the current three-year requirement.
He further disclosed that the government is advancing the Teacher Dabre housing initiative, which aims to provide decent accommodation for teachers serving in deprived communities.
The teacher unions indicated that they will continue engaging the government and other stakeholders until the allowance is fully implemented for teachers working in some of Ghana’s most difficult educational settings.
They believe the introduction of the allowance will boost teacher morale, improve staff retention in rural schools, and help reduce teacher shortages in underserved communities across the country.