Sunyani Oct. 9, GNA - Mr. Kwaku Asante Nketia, Brong Ahafo regional secretary of Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) on Monday appealed to teachers in the region to remain in the classroom and not to embark on any strike action.

He cautioned: "It is an offence to embark on strike action since negotiations (for salary increases) are still in progress. "Any member who absents him/herself from the classroom in the name of any strike action does so at his or her own risk", Mr Nketia added. The regional secretary explained to the Ghana News Agency on phone that the national executives of the association early this month begun fresh negotiations with the government on their salaries.

He denied reports that members of the association in the region were on strike and warned that members who refused to be in school would not be supported if the authorities took any action against them. Mr Nketia however, indicated that the executives of the municipal branch of the association had information last week that teachers at Nsoatre, near Sunyani were on strike so they quickly summoned heads of the various schools to a meeting to impress on their teachers to be in school since the association was not on strike.

He said the Reverend Emmanuel Wiseman Kusi, Municipal Director of Education told him circuit supervisors went round on Friday and met the teachers back in their classrooms teaching.

The regional secretary said a local radio at Berekum had carried the announcement for teachers in the area who begun a strike action last week, to get back to their classrooms and teach.

Mr Nketia however, said he could not tell whether teachers at Dormaa Ahenkro, who were also reported to have started the strike action last week had gone back to the classroom or not, since nothing had been heard from them.