Accra, May 12, GNA - The National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Thursday called on the Government to open up dialogue with the striking teachers of National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) to find an amicable solution to their grievances so that the country did not suffer.

The Party said the call was necessary "since government ultimately bears responsibility for ensuring the welfare of teachers". A statement the NDC Acting General Secretary, Bede Zeideng signed in Accra, similarly appealed to members of NAGRAT to consider the plight of their students and to accept to meet the educational authorities for the speedy resolution of the issues, "in order not to destroy what they have so much struggled to build".

The NDC said the Ghana Education Service (GES) "is faced with inadequate teaching staff at all levels of education in the country and the dismissal of the teachers will mean that the fate of over 200,000 students in our second-cycle institutions will be hanging in the balance as they will be left without teachers."

It said the nation could not afford to lose the services of the teachers because they were the prime movers and operators of education, which was the bedrock of development.

"It, therefore, means whatever it takes to ensure that our educational institutions operate smoothly and effectively, particularly in the area of giving motivation to our teachers, must be done", the NDC said.

The NDC "is convinced that members of NAGRAT have a legitimate complaint and any attempt to ignore this can only spell a disaster in the educational sector.

"What is expected is for the GES and the Government to sit down with them and negotiate on terms that are mutually acceptable to all parties", the NDC said.