The Ghana Education Service (GES) ranks for teachers and their corresponding take-homes (monthly pay) have been captured extensively in this article including promotion cuts due to teachers.
In Ghana, the public knows teachers for their tremendous work but their due take-homes are meager and nothing to talk about.
In as much as the profession is tagged worst, teachers are not the worst public servants in Ghana. They have some level of attraction in their salary.
Ranks
Teachers are paid based on experience, rank, and duties, including promotions.
- Pupil Teacher.
- Superintendent II.
- Superintendent I
- Senior Superintendent II
- Senior Superintendent I
- Principal Superintendent
- Assistant Director II
- Assistant Director I
- Deputy Director
- Director II
- Director I
- Deputy Director General
- Director General
Gradually, the employer, GES will no more accept Diploma as a basic requirement for teachers to teach in basic schools.
However, the Service has put in structures that will assist the ‘fading requirement holders” to upgrade themselves to become degree teachers and be placed on the rank of Principal Superintendent straight forward.
Salary Payment Structure
The salary of teachers is paid per the ranks in the GES using the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS).
The structure used for payment in GES is the SSSS. It has two (2) main components.
The components are as follows:
- Levels
- Points
Levels
A group of teachers with the same job portfolios are put on the same salary level. The level of staff in Ghana Education Service ranges from level one (1) to level twenty-five (25).
The employer places staff performing the least work job description on level one (1). The employer pays the Director-General (the highest-ranked staff of the service) on level 25.
Points
Here, the staff who entered a particular rank first stays ahead of the later staff by such many years. The point indicates the number of years staff has been on the rank.
The points here are designed in a way that staff member has to qualify for promotion to the next level at the time the staff exhaust all the available points on a particular level.
Diploma recruits
Newly posted diploma teachers are placed on the salary scale of PSH14.1. The salary for diploma recruits is;
Gross salary (basic and 15% retention premium): 2,732.01
SSNIT: 130.66
Taxable income: 2,601.35
Income Tax: 361.39
Net Salary: 2,239.96
Entry at degree level
The salary scale for newly recruited degree holders to teach is PSH16.1.
Gross salary (basic and 15% retention premium): 3,459.20
SSNIT: 165.44
Taxable income: 3,293.76
Income Tax: 482.56
Net Salary: 2,811.20
Director-General
The salary scale for the Director General of the Ghana Education Service is PSH25.1
Gross salary (basic and 15% retention premium): 10,523.46
SSNIT: 503.30
Taxable income: 10,020.17
Income Tax: 2,138.04
Net Salary: 7,882.13
Senior Superintendent II (PSH14.1)
Entry level for diploma holders
Gross salary (basic and 15% retention premium): 2,732.01
SSNIT: 130.66
Taxable income: 2,601.35
Income Tax: 361.39
Net Salary: 2,239.96
Senior Superintendent I (PSH15.1)
This rank is attained by promotion to diploma holder
Gross salary (basic and 15% retention premium): 3,074.18
SSNIT: 147.03
Taxable income: 2927.15
Income Tax: 418.40
Net Salary: 2,508.75
Principal Superintendent (PSH16.1)
Entry level for degree holders and by promotion for diploma holder
Gross salary (basic and 15% retention premium): 3,459.20
SSNIT: 165.44
Taxable income: 3,293.76
Income Tax: 482.56
Net Salary: 2811.20
Assistant Director II (PSH18.1)
This rank is attained by promotion for both diploma and degree holders
Gross salary (basic and 15% retention premium): 4,163.96
SSNIT: 199.15
Taxable income: 3,964.81
Income Tax: 624.20
Net Salary: 3,340.61
Assistant Director I (PSH19.1)
This rank is attained by promotion for both diploma and degree holders
Gross salary (basic and 15% retention premium): 4,530.13
SSNIT: 216.66
Taxable income: 4,313.48
Income Tax: 711.37
Net Salary: 3,602.11
Deputy Director (PSH20.1)
This rank is attained by promotion for both diploma and degree holders
Gross salary (basic and 15% retention premium): 5,361.92
SSNIT: 256.44
Taxable income: 5105.48
Income Tax: 909.37
Net Salary: 4,196.11
Director II (PSH21.1)
This rank is attained by promotion for degree holders only.
Gross salary (basic and 15% retention premium): 6,240.35
SSNIT: 298.45
Taxable income: 5,941.90
Income Tax: 1,118.48
Net Salary: 4,823.43
Director I (PSH22.1)
This rank is attained by promotion for degree holders only
Gross salary (basic and 15% retention premium): 7,021.92
SSNIT: 335.83
Taxable income: 6,686.09
Income Tax: 1,304.52
Net Salary: 5,381.57
Deputy Director General (PSH23.1)
This rank is attained by promotion for degree holders only
Gross salary (basic and 15% retention premium): 8,035.70
SSNIT: 384.32
Taxable income: 7,651.38
Income Tax: 1,545.84
Net Salary: 6,105.53
Director General (PSH25.1)
This rank is attained by appointment for degree holders only
Gross salary (basic and 15% retention premium): 10,523.46
SSNIT: 503.30
Taxable income: 10,020.17
Income Tax: 2,138.04
Net Salary: 7,882.13
Note: Diploma teachers who upgrade to become degree holders have to wait for years to receive their corresponding salaries.
The salary scale of teachers ranges from level 14 to level 25.
A few highlights of teachers’ salaries in Ghana have been detailed below
a. The minimum salary scale of heads of senior high schools is at the Deputy-Director rank.
That is level 20.1 (PSH20.1). However, due to the extra responsibility of as a head of senior high school, the scale will be moved to PSL21.1. That is the lower end of the next rank.
b. Heads of Basic Schools will be placed on level 17.1 .
That is the higher end of the next level (PSH17.1). The head of basic school would have been on PSH16
c. The employer places diploma recruits on level 14.1.
They stay on the level until the employer promotes them to level 15.1. And later they get promoted to levels higher-ups in that order.
The number of years they spend on a particular rank or level will determine the points on the levels.
That is level 14.3 or level 14.6 to indicate three years and six years on the level respectively.
d. The employer places degree recruits on level 16.1.
They also get promoted after some number of years on level 16.
e. The employer moves teachers with an extra responsibility to the next salary scale.
The employer moves entry-level degree holders (PSH16.1) with extra responsibility to the ‘high’ end of the next scale (PSH17.1).
The employer move staff who are on level 18 and above to the ‘low’ end of the next salary scale.
f. The service does not employ people with certificates below diplomas any longer.
g. The headmasters and headmistresses must be on a minimum of Deputy-Director rank.
Other Things to Note
Teachers below the rank of Principal superintendent should refer to the next salary level after their current salary scale after the promotion.
Teachers currently on the rank of principal superintendent should refer to the salary attached to level 18 (PSH18.1) after promotion.
However, the employer places teachers who are on the Principal Superintendent (PS) rank with extra responsibility on PSL19.1.
Therefore, teachers who are on the Principal Superintendent (PS) rank with extra responsibility should calculate and add 1.7% of the PSH18.1 scale to the PSH18.1 salary.
This is because the salary difference between PSL19.1 and PSH18.1 is only 1.7%.
Teachers who are promoted from Assistant Director II (AD II) to Assistant Director I (AD I) rank will be placed on either PSH19.1 or PSL20.1
The employer places teachers on Assistant Director II (AD II) rank with extra responsibility on the PSL20.1 after the promotion.
Those without any extra responsibility will be placed on PSH19.1
Teachers who will be placed on the PSH19.1 should refer to the salary levels above.
Teachers who will be placed on the PSL20.1 should calculate and add 1.7% of the PSH19.1 to the PSH19.1 scale.
Teachers who are promoted from Assistant Director I (AD I) to Deputy Director rank will be placed on either PSH20.1 or PSL21.1
Teachers on the Assistant Director I (AD I) rank with extra responsibility will be placed on the PSL21.1 after the promotion.
Those without any extra responsibility will be placed on PSH20.1
Teachers who will be placed on the PSH20.1 should refer to the salary levels above.
However, teachers who will be placed on the PSL21.1 should calculate and add 1.7% of the PSH20.1 to the PSH20.1 scale.
