GTEC directs public universities to reopen by October, 16 lectures start October 19 despite strikes

The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has directed all public universities to reopen their campuses for the 2026/2027 academic year not later than Friday, 16 October 2026, with lectures to begin on Monday, 19 October, despite the ongoing industrial action by university staff.

In a letter dated 13 October 2026 to the Vice-Chancellors of all public universities, GTEC said it was relaying a directive from the Minister for Education issued the same day, which makes the reopening mandatory.

Strikes acknowledged

The Commission acknowledged the administrative challenges arising from the industrial action of the Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) and TUSAAG. However, it said the Ministry had emphasised that the indefinite suspension of academic activities has far-reaching implications for students’ academic progression, institutional operations, national tertiary education delivery, and international academic partnerships.

GTEC said the government, through the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance, and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC), has begun engagements with GAUA’s leadership to speed up the resolution of all outstanding grievances.

What universities must do

Under the directive, universities must comply with the following:

• Reopening: All public universities must reopen not later than Friday, 16 October 2026, regardless of any earlier decision to postpone.
• Lectures: Governing Councils and Management must ensure lectures begin without fail on Monday, 19 October 2026.
• Administrative duties: GAUA members are asked to resume their duties within the framework of the ongoing good-faith negotiations between the government and the Association.
• Operational readiness: Halls of residence, academic libraries, departmental registration desks, and other essential student support facilities must be fully staffed and operational by Thursday, 15 October 2026, to ensure smooth registration and the resumption of academic activities.

The directive follows the postponement by some universities of their reopening because of the strike. The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), for example, earlier said it had indefinitely postponed its reopening, which had been scheduled for 13 October, because of the GAUA strike.