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Government has promised to conclude and pay arrears of all graduate teachers by Wednesday, October 19. This was disclosed by the deputy Minister of Education Mahama Ayariga on Citi FM�s Eyewitness News on Wednesday in response to agitating teachers over unpaid salaries. The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) has threatened to go on strike on October 17, despite receiving a letter from the National Labour Commission (NLC) saying that their two-month salary arrears would be paid this month. According to NAGRAT, they would lay down their tools if the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission failed to hold meetings with their leadership over the payment of their 19-month salary arrears. They describe as unsatisfactory, the payment of only two months of their entire one and half years arrears. However, the deputy Education Minister Ayariga told Citi News, �we have had discussions with the Controller and Accountant Generals Department. �The department has indicated that it received late notification from the Finance Ministry after the 15th of September, and their systems are structured in such a way that they are unable to process any salaries and pay before the 15th if they did not receive the directive from Finance Ministry to pay before the 15th of the previous month. � �So ones they received the directive from the Finance Ministry to pay after the 15th of September it would be difficult to pay on the 15th as directed by the Labour Commission,� he added. "I met with the leadership of NAGRAT and together we called the Controller and tried to impress upon him to try as hard as he could to pay by the 15th. �He said that granted that he stops everything else that he is doing and commits the system to only paying their arrears, he can only do that earliest by 19th of this month. � Ayariga added: "So we have been appealing to NAGRAT and its members that 15th is on a Saturday so the earliest that they could even get these monies is on the 17th which is Monday. �So effectively the difference between 17th and 19th of this month is something that I believe they can indulge us and then give as some little space so that we would be able to effect the payment by the 19th as promised by the Controller and Accountant General. � On their part, NAGRAT indicated that although they were pleased with government�s decision to expedite action on the payment of their arrears, the two parties still need to meet to agree on a clear road map on how the arrears would be paid or else they would advice themselves.