Pre-tertiary in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality have begun a sit-down strike and are wearing red armbands in protest over the alleged assault of three teachers by armed military personnel and what union leaders describe as the insensitive handling of the matter by local education authorities.

The industrial action, declared by the leadership of GNAT, NAGRAT, and PRETAG in the Western Region, took effect on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, after what the unions say was the expiration of an ultimatum issued to the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Ministry of Defence without any response.

Addressing a press conference on Monday, union leaders said the phased action would continue until May 31, 2026, warning that a total strike would commence from Monday, June 1, 2026, if their concerns are not addressed.

The controversy stems from an incident earlier this month in which three teachers of the Adiewoso M/A Basic School, together with the husband of one of the female teachers, were allegedly assaulted by armed military personnel. According to the unions, the affected teachers are still nursing injuries and undergoing psychological trauma.

The unions also accused the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal Director of Education, Madam Catherine Andoh-Mensah, of showing little concern for the welfare of the affected teachers.

According to the unions, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, the Municipal Director visited the school and became upset upon realising that the affected teachers were absent from duty.

“She immediately called them from their homes and lambasted them for not coming to school, although the teachers were nursing their wounds and also going through psychological healing,” the unions alleged.

They further claimed that Madam Catherine Andoh-Mensah entered in the school’s log book that she had visited the school and that the affected teachers were absent from post, and was particularly unhappy that the female teacher whose husband was assaulted was also absent from work.

“We are very upset by the Municipal Director’s conduct because when she visited the teachers on the very day the incident happened, we expected her to have asked the affected teachers to report the case to the police, collect medical forms, and seek medical attention, but she failed to do that,” the unions stated.

The unions added that they expected the school to have been temporarily closed and the teachers relocated to a safer environment following the incident.

“Five days after the incident, when she did not meet the affected teachers in school, she should at least have visited them in their homes to find out how they were faring, but she did not. These actions and inactions suggest that she does not care about the welfare of teachers in the municipality,” they added.

Perpetual Bosomprah, the Tarkwa District GNAT Chairperson, stated that all teachers in the municipality have been directed to wear red bands and participate in the sit-down strike as part of efforts to demand justice for their colleagues.

She warned that should authorities fail to address the issues raised by the unions, teachers across the municipality would escalate the action into a full strike beginning June 1, 2026.