The Technical University Teachers’ Association of Ghana (TUTAG) has given the government seven days to release and pay the 2025/2026 Book and Research Allowance to eligible members.

The Association said the continued delay in paying the allowance was unacceptable, particularly as the 2025/2026 academic year had ended in most public universities and technical universities, with many institutions closing their academic calendars between June and August 2026.

In a statement signed by Prof Deodat Emilson Adenutsi, the President of TUTAG, and Dr Francis Fonyee Nutsugah, the General Secretary, the Association said the allowance was an established academic entitlement intended to support lecturers and researchers in acquiring books, scholarly materials, research tools and other resources.

It said the allowance was not a discretionary benefit or favour to academic staff but an important component of the framework for supporting teaching, research, publication, innovation and continuous professional development.

Prof Adenutsi said the allowance ought to be released at the beginning of the academic year to enable lecturers to plan their teaching, undertake research, acquire academic materials, participate in scholarly activities and prepare manuscripts for publication.

The Association said delaying payment until after the academic activities the allowance was intended to support had substantially elapsed undermined its purpose and often forced lecturers to bear the cost of academic and research activities personally.

The TUTAG said it had consistently pursued dialogue and constructive engagement with the Government and relevant state institutions but warned that continued postponement of the payment could not become an annual practice.

It therefore called on the Ministries of Finance and Education, the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) and other relevant institutions to ensure immediate payment.

The Association gave the Government a seven-day deadline from September 15, 2026, to release and pay the allowance, warning that failure to meet the demand would leave its members with “no alternative but to advise themselves,” including the possible withdrawal of their services through industrial action.