A/R: Teachers divided on strike decision by GNAT, NAGRAT, CCT

Teachers appear divided in obeying their leadership directive to observe an industrial action beginning last week Friday.

A visit to some schools in Ejisu in the morning of Monday November 7 revealed, whilst some teachers are complying to the strike directive others have defied it and are teaching.

At Tikrom M/A junior high school, some teachers were busily conducting lessons when Onuaonline visited the school, Monday morning.

Out of the 18 teachers in the school only 7 did not report today.

“I decided to come and teach because we are way behind the syllable. Though the strike is important, we have to complete the syllable at least to make up for the contact hours we lost during our previous strike on cost of living allowance”,a teacher, Nana Ampadu stated.

But another teacher Owusu Darko has a different reason to coming to teach.

“Honestly this strike is of no relevance. Why should I abandon my students because of disagreement in the appointment of our Director-General? Instead of our leadership to mobilize themselves and to the government to fight for improved conditions of service, we are boycotting class because of an appointment. I’ll continue to come and teach”

However, it was a field day for the primary pupils as no teacher came around to teach the kids.

Whilst others were playing, some were loitering about due to absence of teachers in their classrooms.

The pupils pleaded with government to bring back their teachers to the classroom.

“Some of the teachers came to school today but refused to teach us. They later returned home. So for now we are just playing but we want our teachers back in the classroom to teach us”, Sarah Oppong, a class 5 pupil said.

“Since we came in the morning, we have just been playing around because most of the teachers did not come to school. Those who came too said they’re on strike. We are pleading with the government to bring back our teachers for academic work to continue”, a class 6 pupil, Ishmael Ayittey appealed.

Leadership of the three teacher unions (GNAT, NAGRAT, and CCT) declared an industrial action on Friday November 4 over government’s refusal to revoke the appointment of Dr Eric Nkansah as the Director-General of Ghana Education Service.

The unions say they want an Educationist to Occupy that office instead of a banker.

Source: 3news.com|Ghana