Central Region NAGRAT fails to observe strike

Cape Coast, March 2, GNA - Two days into the strike action by members of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), the Central Region branch had failed to heed to the directive by its national executives.

A visit to some schools in the Cape Coast Metropolis by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Tuesday revealed that teachers were at post and were teaching.

The schools include the Academy of Christ the King, Adisadel College, Mfantsipim and Ghana National College.

At Academy of Christ The King the Headmaster, Mr. Kofi Mensah Adator, said they had not received any formal letter from NAGRAT executives for them to embark on a strike action and that there was the need to place the interest of the students paramount. Mr. Mensah appealed to NAGRAT to use the laid down rules to fight a good course as the school had not been officially informed about the strike action. He appealed to the government to quickly respond to the concerns raised by NAGRAT for immediate redress to forestall the stagnation of educational development in the country. Mr Kwesi Graham, the Headmaster of Adisadel College, told the GNA that teaching and learning was going on smoothly and that the school was busy preparing for its centenary celebration and could not be disrupted. The Head of History Department of Mfantsipim School, Mr Daniel Richard Essah, said normal classes were going on and teachers were at post teaching. In an interview with the National Ladies of Excellence Coordinator, a gender desk of the National Association of Graduate teachers (NAGRAT), Mrs Lily Amenyah, denied that NAGRAT members had failed to join the strike action.

She explained that those at post teaching were GNAT members and National Service personnel but graduate teachers had laid down their tools and threatened that the association would continue with the strike action until its grievances were addressed.

Mrs Amenya described as painful the fact that members got to know about the monies government said it had released for the payment of their arrears and allowances through the media even though the message could have been channelled through its executives.

Mrs Amenyah said NAGRAT wanted to know where the money was and stressed that their patience had been overstretched because they had exhausted all avenues to have the issue resolved by government. She said members of the association had resolved to embark on the strike action because the Ghana Education Service (GES) had failed to honour its part of the agreement reached last year to promote all teachers who were due for promotion and had rather selected some teachers for the position of Deputy Director and Director II for interview and left others out. Mrs Amenyah said their meagre monthly allowances such as car maintenance and responsibility allowances of seven Ghana Cedis which had been slashed to three Ghana cedis had not been restored while it has also not been paid for the past nine months. 02 March 10