Teachers and education workers whose salary arrears have not been paid have been given a March 18, 2016 deadline to submit the relevant documents to the Ghana Education Service Headquarters for onward submission to the validation team for validation and subsequent payment.

The off-site team working on the validation of salary arrears has received application forms in excess of 60,000.

Teacher unions, National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Ghana

National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT), as well as Teachers and Educational Workers Union, together with Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC), Audit Service, Ministry of Finance, Controller and Accountant General’s Department and the Ghana Education Service reiterated that validation of salary arrears of affected members is ongoing.

A statement signed by George Smith Graham, Chief Executive of FWSC, Stanislans P. Nabome - NAGRAT, Ahenakwa-Quarshie - GNAT, and Awudu Ali - CCT said validation of salary arrears of affected members is ongoing.

It gave all applicants, District and Regional Directors of Education up to Thursday to submit the relevant documents to the Ghana Education Service Headquarters for onward submission to the validation team for validation and subsequent payment.

The statement asked the affected staff to visit web page www.gespostings.net and click on arrears to check on the status of the validation.

According to the release, the search result might produce results such as ‘no information’ or a ‘list of documents’.

‘No information’ means either the particulars are yet to be keyed in or submitted to the Audit Service while a ‘list of documents’ requires the applicant to provide the documents listed to the appropriate office for onward submission to the Ghana Education Service Headquarters for prompt action.

The statement noted that the off-site team has agreed that the arrears due to deserving beneficiaries should be paid immediately after the close of the evaluation exercise, which is expected to end on April 15, 2016.

“We wish, therefore, to advice both new applicants and those whose forms were queried to urgently respond to the queries to enable the validating team validate their documents for prompt payment of the salary arrears.

“All the unpaid staff who were at post during the period of validation in the various regions shall also be considered in the final payment of arrears.

“Per the work done so far under our watch, we (the unions) are very optimistic that every member who follows the procedures shall receive his/her arrears without further delay after the validation exercise,” the statement said.