GTEC orders public universities to reopen by October 16 amid strike
The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has ordered all public universities to reopen for the 2026/2027 academic year by Friday, October 16, regardless of any previous decisions to delay the start of the academic calendar.
In a letter dated October 13, 2026, and signed by Deputy Director-General Prof. Augustine Ocloo on behalf of the Director-General, the Commission directed that lectures and other academic activities begin on Monday, October 19.
The directive was issued under the authority of the Minister for Education.
GTEC has further instructed university managements to ensure that halls of residence, academic libraries, departmental registration desks and other essential student support facilities are adequately staffed and operational by Thursday, October 15.
Vice-Chancellors have also been directed to submit detailed reports on their institutions’ preparedness to reopen to the Commission by Wednesday, October 14.
The order comes amid an ongoing industrial dispute involving the Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) and the Technical University Administrators Association of Ghana (TUSAAG).
Although GTEC acknowledged the administrative difficulties caused by the industrial action, it warned that the continued disruption of academic activities could negatively affect students’ academic progress, university operations, tertiary education delivery and international academic partnerships.
The Commission said the government, through the Ministries of Education and Finance and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, had begun discussions with GAUA’s leadership to address the outstanding concerns.
It has urged GAUA members to return to their administrative duties while negotiations continue in good faith.
“The Commission expects strict compliance with the stipulated timelines,” the letter stated.
GTEC also instructed universities that may struggle to meet the deadlines to notify it immediately in writing, explaining the challenges and outlining measures being taken to resolve them.
The directive follows a meeting on Monday, October 12, between Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu and the leadership of GAUA and TUSAAG, during which the Minister expressed hope that the strike would be called off within days.
GAUA, however, said it would consult its members before announcing its position.
The industrial action, which began on August 10 and resumed on September 15, stems from disagreements over disparities in the Interim Market Premium (IMP) paid to teaching and non-teaching senior members.
The strike has disrupted administrative services at public universities, including admissions, student registration and accommodation allocation. The University of Ghana and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) have consequently postponed their reopening dates indefinitely.
Under the latest directive, public universities are expected to reopen by October 16 and commence lectures on October 19, even as negotiations over the unresolved grievances continue.
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