The Ghana Education Service (GES) has warned teachers against leaving their duty posts during school hours to protest, visit its headquarters, or engage the media over grievances.
In a directive issued to all regional directors on 9 March 2026, the service said it had observed a growing trend of some teachers—particularly newly recruited staff—travelling to its headquarters in Accra or granting media interviews during official school hours.
GES management said such actions undermine established administrative procedures and violate the professional code governing the teaching profession.
The directive, signed at the headquarters of the Ghana Education Service in Accra, emphasised that the service operates through clearly defined administrative structures which must be followed by staff when raising concerns.
Teachers must follow administrative channels
According to the statement, teachers with grievances are required to first report them to their heads of school before escalating them to district and regional directorates where necessary.
GES explained that the national office engages directly only with regional directorates and recognised teacher unions registered under the laws of Ghana.
The service warned that teachers who leave their duty posts and are found at the GES headquarters or elsewhere during official school hours would be treated as absent from duty.
It added that those captured on video or audio granting interviews to the media or participating in related activities during school hours would also face disciplinary action in line with the service’s code of conduct.
Heads of schools to monitor compliance
GES has directed regional directors to ensure strict compliance with the directive by supervising district directors and heads of schools.
School heads and district directors have also been tasked to record cases of teacher absenteeism and report them to management.
The statement added that teachers found at the headquarters or speaking to the media during school hours would be held accountable together with their school heads and district directors.
Commitment to staff welfare
Despite the warning, GES said it remained committed to addressing the welfare concerns of staff through established procedures.
The service acknowledged progress made in clearing inherited administrative backlogs and improving processing systems but urged teachers to use formal channels to resolve any outstanding issues.
“Such confrontational approaches directed at the headquarters or the media disrupt the focus, attention and work of management,” the statement said.
GES assured teachers that their concerns would continue to be addressed through due process and structured engagement.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
