Teachers Want Money, Not Words — GES PRO Daniel Fenyi Breaks Silence On Strike

Ghana Education Service (GES) Public Relations Officer Daniel Fenyi has explained why he initially chose not to comment publicly on the ongoing teacher strike, stressing that the matter requires concrete action rather than lengthy explanations.

In a post shared on his social media page on September 26, 2026, Fenyi said he had deliberately refrained from discussing the issue for four main reasons. He explained that he was personally uncomfortable discussing teachers’ salaries in the media, adding that he could easily discuss other matters concerning teachers but considered putting salary details in the public domain disrespectful to the profession.

Fenyi also said no one had officially asked him to speak on the matter in his capacity as GES PRO. According to him, he only speaks on issues when he is sent, asked or instructed to do so, and his immediate superior had not asked him to comment on the teacher strike, making his latest statement a personal one.

He further explained that the issues surrounding the strike were inter-agency and, in some respects, inter-ministerial. He said the matter involves the GES, Ministry of Education, Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD), Ministry of Finance, Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) and the teacher unions themselves, meaning that focusing solely on the GES could fail to capture the full complexity of the grievances.

Fenyi said the most important reason for his initial silence was that the situation was not primarily a public relations matter but one that required action. He stressed that teachers were looking for their financial entitlements rather than explanations. “Teachers want to see money, not words. They do not need lengthy explanations; they need solution,” he stated.

However, Fenyi said he felt compelled to respond after noticing what he described as attempts to use the issue to spread hate, untruths, propaganda, blame games or misinformation. He said, given the information available to him, he believed he had a responsibility to educate, clarify, explain and, where possible, promote calm while the issues were being resolved.

He made the clarification in response to a statement by IMANI Africa Founding President Franklin Cudjoe titled “Clarification on the Alleged Teacher Strike Over Promotion Arrears.” Fenyi said Cudjoe repeatedly suggested that the GES was late in submitting relevant documents to the Controller and subsequently encouraged teachers to mass up at the GES headquarters to demand their outstanding arrears.

According to Fenyi, Cudjoe’s position did not fully reflect the reasons stated by the teacher unions for declaring the industrial action. He said a wider reading of the unions’ strike declaration would have shown that they cited three main concerns.

These concerns, he explained, were the renewal, renegotiation or review of the expired Collective Agreement; the placement of newly promoted teachers on their appropriate salary scales and payment of the resulting arrears; and the implementation of the Deprived Area Allowance.

Fenyi therefore argued that reducing the entire industrial action to an alleged failure by GES to submit promotion letters trivialises the matter and misrepresents the grievances of the teacher unions. He added that the unions themselves recognise the inter-agency nature of the issues, with processes involving the Ministry of Education, GES, CAGD and FWSC.

He said this was why he was uncomfortable with attempts to turn what he described as a multi-agency process into a single-agency blame game. Fenyi, however, acknowledged that GES has responsibilities within the process and must act whenever action is required of the Service.

He stressed that where delays are attributable to GES, they should be acknowledged and addressed, adding that he would not defend an institutional failure simply because he works for the organisation. At the same time, he argued that where several institutions are involved, it would neither be fair nor useful to attribute the entire problem to one institution.

Fenyi also disagreed with the suggestion by Franklin Cudjoe that teachers should storm the GES headquarters over their outstanding payments. He said such an approach would not be helpful in resolving an issue of this nature and argued that anyone who understood the processes involved would recognise that the GES headquarters was the least of the problems in the value chain.

He further revealed that a meeting had already been held involving the teacher unions, Controller, GES and other relevant stakeholders, with the heads of the various institutions present. According to Fenyi, the meeting produced an agreed roadmap and timelines for addressing the issues, and the outcome was widely published.

Fenyi maintained that the ultimate concern of teachers should not be a contest over which institution is to blame but ensuring that their legitimate entitlements are processed and paid. He said the GES’s responsibility was to work with the Ministry of Education, CAGD, Ministry of Finance, FWSC and teacher unions to identify outstanding processes, assign responsibility, remove bottlenecks and ensure eligible teachers receive what is due to them.

He called for accountability but urged stakeholders to direct it to the appropriate institutions based on the responsibilities assigned to them and accurate information. He also stressed the need for less talk and more action as the government works to resolve the concerns.

The GES PRO disclosed that the Ministry of Education is scheduled to meet the teacher unions on Monday. He urged stakeholders to await the outcome of that meeting before determining the next steps in addressing the dispute.

Source: Daniel Fenyi, Facebook page