The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has directed all public universities to reopen their campuses by Friday, October 16, 2026, with lectures scheduled to begin on Monday, October 19, despite the ongoing industrial action by university staff.
The directive makes the reopening of public universities mandatory, even for institutions that have already postponed the start of the 2026/2027 academic year because of the strike.
In a letter dated October 13, 2026, and addressed to vice-chancellors of all public universities, GTEC said the directive was issued by the Minister for Education on the same day.
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The Commission instructed university governing councils and management teams to ensure that academic activities resume according to the new schedule.
GTEC acknowledged the administrative difficulties created by the industrial action involving the Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) and TUSAAG.
According to the Commission, the disruption threatens students’ academic progression, university operations, national tertiary education delivery and international academic partnerships.
The directive comes amid efforts by the government to resolve the outstanding grievances that triggered the industrial action.
GTEC disclosed that the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) had begun engagements with GAUA’s leadership to accelerate negotiations and address the concerns raised by the association.
The Commission urged administrative staff to resume their duties within the framework of the ongoing good-faith negotiations between the government and the association.
Under the directive, all public universities must reopen by October 16, regardless of earlier decisions to postpone their reopening.
Lectures must begin on October 19, with governing councils and university management responsible for ensuring compliance.
GTEC also directed institutions to ensure that halls of residence, academic libraries, departmental registration desks and other essential student support facilities are fully staffed and operational by Thursday, October 15.
The measures are intended to facilitate student registration and ensure a smooth resumption of academic activities.
The directive follows decisions by some universities to postpone reopening because of the industrial action.
The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), for instance, earlier announced an indefinite postponement of its reopening, which had been scheduled for October 13.
The university cited the ongoing GAUA strike as the reason for the postponement.
GTEC’s latest directive now requires public universities to comply with the government’s revised reopening timetable.