The Leadership of the three teacher unions –National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), and Coalition of Concerned Teachers, Ghana (CCT)–have declared strike on Friday, November 4, 2022.
This comes on the back of the expiration of an ultimatum the teacher unions gave the government to rescind its decision on Dr. Eric Nkansah’s appointment.
President of GNAT, Rev. Isaac Owusu addressing the media said they will not call off the strike until the government addresses their concerns.
According to him, “It is unacceptable for a banker to be appointed as a Director-General of the Ghana Education Service instead of an educationist at the same time when many teachers who did the same courses and related ones were rejected by GES because it is not related to education.”
He said, “We stated that both the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service should apologize to teachers for accepting the very qualifications they rejected when teachers presented them…”.
“We have been compelled under the current circumstances to publicly communicate to Ghanaians on our intention to go on strike, having reached the November 4 deadline we gave the government. Consequently, we have decided to embark on strike from today, Friday, November 4, 2022. By this, we are informing the general public that we are withdrawing all our services in all the pre-tertiary institutions,” he added.
The unions, since the appointment of Dr. Eric Nkansah on October 19, have opposed to the move, arguing that the new GES Director-General does not qualify to occupy the position.
Minister’s Defense
The Minister for Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum on his side has defendedd the appointment saying that the accusations of the teacher unions were unfounded.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations has invited the striking teacher unions to a meeting today.
A statement signed by the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Ignatius Baffuor Awuah explained that the meeting is to help “find [an] amicable resolution to the impasse.”
-BY Daniel Bampoe