Academic work resumes in public schools

Teachers in pre-tertiary public schools returned to the classroom on Monday to resume full academic work, after their three unions called off their nationwide strike, which took effect on Monday, December 9.

The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and Coalition of Concerned Teachers-Ghana called off the strike, which was called to back their demand for the full payment of ‘Legacy Arrears’ accumulated in 2012 to 2016, owed to some of their members.

When the Ghana News Agency’s (GNA) visited some schools in the Accra Metropolis, it observed that they were in full session.

The schools included the Manle Dada Basic School/Junior High School (JHS); Africa Unit JHS; South La One Two and Three cluster of schools; La Salem Presby Basic; La Bethel Presby Primary and JHS; La St Paul’s Primary and JHS; La Bone Presby Primary “A” and “B”; and La Enobal “2” JHS.

Some authorities, who spoke to the GNA on the condition of anonymity, said they had even finished with the End of Term Examination and were preparing for vacation on Thursday, December 19.

One of them said the authorities were law-abiding so as soon as the action was called off they immediately resumed work.

Another, however, said as a model school, they did not take part in the strike because they put the welfare of their pupils above their personal interests.

In one school, the authorities were tight-lipped on whether they had started or completed their examination or not; as well as when they would close for vacation.

The GNA learnt that some teachers who did not take part in the industrial action in certain schools conducted the examinations for students in Junior High School.

However, they would assess those in the Kindergarten and Primary based on the Ghana Education Service’s new curricular for assessment.

The Unions were compelled by court order, secured by the National Labour Commission, on Wednesday, December 11, to return to the classroom.

They declared the action on Thursday, December 5, after rejecting the GES’ decision that they wanted to clean the remaining list of beneficiaries to rid it off discrepancies, which when overlooked would cause the taxpayer millions of cedis.

The GES at its last meeting with Unions on the matter on Monday, December 2, promised, however, to pay the remaining beneficiaries by the Christmas break.

But, the Unions said their members had suffered unduly for too long so their employer should go ahead and pay them immediately, and sort out the issue of the discrepancies with the Internal Audit Unit of the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department, which was responsible for them.

The GES said there originally 120,232 of its staff who were affected. As of September 2019, it had paid 87,556 of them.

It was also cleaning up another set of data covering 1,847 personnel who, which was submitted to it on November 9, 2019.

“A close examination of the data indicated ... anomalies, which would have led to excess payment of about GHS11,300,376.00.