By Evans Worlanyo Ameamu
Keta (V/R), Sept. 30, GNA – Schools within the Keta Municipality of the Volta Region remain closed as the nationwide teachers’ strike continues, with parents and students expressing concern over the disruption to academic work.
The striking teacher unions have rejected the Government’s appeal to call off the industrial action, insisting that members would stay away from the classroom until their concerns, including salary arrears and deprived-area allowance payments, were reflected on their payslips.
Madam Peace Nyidewu, a parent, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that she was worried about the impact of the strike on learners, particularly Junior High School Form Three students preparing for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
“We don’t have much to say than to appeal to the government to as a matter of urgency address the pressing challenges of the teachers for our children to get back to school and continue learning,” she said.
Madam Nyidewu said some parents had also raised concerns about disparities between private and public school teachers, arguing that some private school teachers earned as low as GH¢500 a month but continued to work despite their lower remuneration, while their counterparts in the public sector were demanding improved conditions of service.
She alleged that some public school teachers enrolled their children in private schools for better tuition while making additional demands on the Government, a situation she said had generated frustration among some members of the public over the prolonged strike.
“The other side is that the government also gave a lot of promises to teachers prior to the 2024 general election and this is what is haunting them now, they have to address this within their power.”
Madam Nyidewu called on the Ghana Education Service (GES) to consider announcing the closure of affected schools to allow young children to stay at home and avoid situations that could endanger them on school compounds without teacher supervision.
Grace Lawoe, a Form Three student of Keta Vui Zion Basic School, expressed disappointment and anxiety over the strike and appealed to the Government and teachers to reach a consensus to enable academic activities to resume.
Some Form Three students within the Keta Municipality told the GNA that they had been reporting to school for the past three days to engage in individual and group studies in the absence of teachers to keep up with their preparations.
They said they had recently returned from about a month-long break and feared that staying at home because of the strike could further disrupt their studies.
Some parents and students also appealed to the Government and the teacher unions to find common ground to resolve the impasse, saying the continued closure of schools could further disrupt the academic calendar, particularly for examination classes.
The GNA understands that the teacher unions are expected to meet the Government again on October 6 to discuss outstanding issues relating to the strike, while schools in Keta and other parts of the country remain closed.
Stakeholders in the education sector have also called for an amicable and lasting resolution to the impasse, warning that a prolonged closure of schools could negatively affect teaching and learning.
Some schools visited by the GNA, including Bishop Herman Basic School, Norivime Basic School and Dzelukope Roman Catholic Basic School, had a few pupils playing on the compounds, while classrooms remained closed with no teachers present.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/Lydia Kukua Asamoah