Napo’s No-Strike Record As Education Minister In Focus In Wake Of Recent Teacher Unrests
Story By : Deborah Adorsu
The record of former Education Minister Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, popularly known as NAPO, on industrial harmony in the education sector has come under renewed discussion following the recent nationwide strike by teacher unions.
Three pre-tertiary unions — GNAT, NAGRAT and PRETAG — declared a strike on September 25, 2026, citing unresolved conditions of service, unpaid promotion arrears, delays in negotiations, and the non-implementation of a 20 percent deprived-area allowance. The action was suspended on October 9 after negotiations with the Ministry of Education led by Haruna Iddrisu and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, which promised payment of promotion allowances for some 51,000 teachers by September 16 and an October 30 deadline for clearing arrears.
The development has put the spotlight on NAPO’s tenure as Education Minister from 2017 to 2021. While in office, NAPO touted that there had been no teacher demonstration or strike for four years under his leadership, attributing it to government’s effective management of teacher welfare, restoration of teacher trainee allowances and prompt salary payments.
However, fact-checks at the time challenged that claim. Records show that between 2018 and 2019, NAGRAT, the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT), TUTAG and CETAG embarked on several strike actions over legacy arrears from 2012 to 2016 and non-payment of allowances, some of which required National Labour Commission intervention and court orders to call off.
Supporters of NAPO argue that despite those disputes, his tenure saw relatively fewer prolonged shutdowns compared to recent years, and that his reforms including Free SHS, teacher licensure, and professionalization improved the sector.
Critics counter that industrial peace cannot be claimed as outright, and that current unrest reflects structural issues around promotions, salary placement for over 80,000 teachers, and conditions of service that transcend any single minister’s tenure.