Students appeal to striking teachers to return to work

Some Senior High School students in Kumasi are appealing to their striking teachers to return to work. The students, most of whom are final year students, complain the action will affect their completion of the syllabus before the final exams next year since the SHS duration has been reduced from 4 to 3 years.

Members of the National Association of Graduate Teachers, NAGRAT, and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers, have laid down their tools for 7-days to protest poor conditions of service.

They are unhappy about some policies implemented by the GES and have also planned to demonstrate on the 20th of May (Today) if their grievances are not resolved by the end of the strike action.

Checks on some schools by Ultimate Radio revealed that teachers who are members of GNAT who have also left students stranded in their classrooms.

Some of the students who spoke to Ultimate Radio admitted they were scared about the consequences of the lost time on their ability to properly cover the full length of their courses.

“The teachers are not coming to class and I don’t even know why they are on strike. They are just hovering around, but we have a lot to cover,” one student complained.

“We are going for a three year program and we need to cover the syllabus and the teachers too are on strike, so it is affecting us a lot,” a student bemoaned.

“I am very worried. We are covering a three year program offering science. And as science students, we need to cover up very quickly,” a science student indicated.

Meanwhile, the Education Ministry has declared the strike action by the teachers as illegal, as per directives given by the National Labor Commission.

The National Labor Commission ordered the teachers to properly serve their employers with a notice of their intention to strike in accordance with section 159 of Act 651.