Pupils appeal to striking teachers to return to classrooms

By Anthony Adongo Apubeo, GNA  

Bolgatanga, Sept. 29, GNA – Pupils in some schools in the Bolgatanga Municipality have appealed to the striking teachers to return to the classrooms to enable them resume academic activities. 

The appeal came as the nationwide strike by three pre-tertiary teacher unions entered its second day, leaving several schools in the Municipality largely empty. 

When the Ghana News Agency (GNA), visited the Methodist Primary and Junior High School, St. Peter and Paul Primary and Junior High School, and Sumbrungu Primary and Junior High School, among others, observed that only a few pupils reported to school in the morning, with no teachers present to supervise teaching and learning. 

The pupils expressed concern that the continued absence of their teachers could negatively affect their academic performance, particularly their preparations for end-of-term examinations and the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). 

Miss Frederica Ayinnonya, a pupil of the Methodist Primary School, appealed to the teachers and the government to find common ground to end the impasse. 

“Our teachers usually say money is not everything and they have left us to demand for money. We are begging them to come back and teach us,” she said. 

Master Wisdom Ayelige, a pupil of the Methodist Junior High School, said he had recently been promoted to the JHS level and had only a few years to prepare for the BECE. 

He said the strike could affect his academic performance and appealed to the teachers to return to the classroom. 

“We are appealing to them to come back to school and help us as their children,” he said. 

At the St. Peter and Paul Primary and Junior High School, the situation was similar, as few pupils were seen loitering around the school compound without teachers to supervise them. 

Similar situations were recorded at Sumbrungu Primary and JHS. 

The pupils appealed to the government and the teacher unions to resolve their differences to allow teaching and learning to resume. 

The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG) commenced the nationwide strike over outstanding issues concerning teachers’ promotion allowances and arrears. 

In a joint statement dated September 25, 2026, the three unions cited three major concerns, including delays in negotiating a new Collective Agreement, failure to automatically place newly promoted teachers on the appropriate salary scales and non-implementation of the Deprived Area Allowance. 

The unions said the existing Collective Agreement had expired, while negotiations for a new agreement, which they said should have been completed by June 2026, remained outstanding. 

They said the issues had been raised with the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) several times, but remained unresolved. 

The unions are also demanding the automatic placement of teachers who successfully passed promotion examinations in December 2025 and February 2026 onto their respective salary scales, with payment of arrears effective January 2026. 

The pupils, however, urged all parties to put their differences aside and reach an agreement to enable teachers to return to the classrooms and prevent further disruption to their education. 

GNA 

Edited by Caesar Abagali/Kenneth Odeng Adade 

Reporter: Anthony Adongo Apubeo  

Reporter’s email: [email protected]