Abuakwa South MP and member of Parliament’s Education Committee, Dr Kingsley Agyemang, has called on the government to prioritise outstanding payments to teachers before committing funds to the proposed GH¢2 billion Accra–Kumasi Expressway project.
His comments come amid an indefinite strike by pre-tertiary teacher unions over issues including promotion-related payments, the Collective Agreement and the Deprived Area Allowance.
Dr Agyemang said teachers should be paid what is owed to them, particularly if the government has the resources it claims to have.
“I cannot pay teachers what is due them. I wish to re-emphasise that it has nothing to do with technicality. The teacher is deserving of his wage. They should pay them,” he said.
He questioned the decision to commit significant resources to infrastructure projects while teachers remain on strike.
Dr Agyemang specifically cited the reported GH¢2 billion allocation for the Accra–Kumasi Expressway, arguing that the funds could instead be used to address the teachers’ outstanding claims.
He said if government genuinely lacks the resources to settle the payments, it should be transparent with the unions rather than continuing to make assurances.
“If we’ve gotten to a point where they have to tell them what the truth is, they are broke, and that we can’t do much, let the teachers understand,” he said.
According to the MP, repeated promises have weakened teachers’ confidence in the government.
He also said resolving the dispute requires intervention beyond the Education Ministry because the ministry does not control the government’s finances.
“It goes beyond the Ministry of Education… somebody keeps the purse. The person that keeps the purse should be ready and willing if the money is available,” he said.
Dr Agyemang therefore urged government to make the necessary funds available to settle the outstanding obligations and help resolve the strike.
