The Ghana Education Service (GES) has issued a heartfelt appeal to pre-tertiary teacher unions, urging them to call off their ongoing strike as government agencies work to resolve their concerns.
Director-General Professor Ernest Kofi Davis, addressing the press on Tuesday, September 29, warned that the strike could jeopardize the hard-won stability of the academic calendar. He emphasized that, for the first time in six years, students at all levels had resumed classes within September, marking the return to a predictable and synchronized school year.
“This did not happen by accident. It was achieved through hard work,” Professor Davis remarked, highlighting the progress made in restoring stability to Ghana’s education system after years of disruptions.
The ongoing strike, declared by GNAT, NAGRAT, and PRETAG, centers on unresolved issues such as unpaid promotion arrears, delays in negotiating a new Collective Agreement, and the non-implementation of the Deprived Area Allowance. The unions launched the industrial action on September 25 after repeated appeals for their demands went unmet.
Professor Davis assured teachers that the government, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Labour, Controller and Accountant-General’s Department, and other stakeholders, is actively working to address their grievances. He cited recent efforts to mechanize teacher promotions as evidence of GES’s commitment to improving conditions for educators.
Urging the unions to reconsider their stance, Professor Davis stressed the importance of protecting the academic calendar and called on all stakeholders to support efforts to keep the school year on track. “We wish to associate ourselves with the Ministry of Education’s appeal to teachers to rescind their decision as we work hard to address their issues,” he said.
Source: Apexnewsgh.com