By Emmanuel Nyatsikor
Adaklu Have (V/R), Sept. 28, GNA – All five public primary and junior high schools visited by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in the Adaklu Kodzobi Electoral Area of the Adaklu District on Monday were closed following the nationwide strike by three teacher unions.
The industrial action began on September 26, 2026.
At the Adaklu Have Evangelical Presbyterian Church Primary School, however, the GNA met some pupils at about 0800 hours who said they were unaware that their teachers were on strike.
At the Adaklu Kodzobi District Assembly Basic School, a group of pupils in school uniforms were also seen playing football at about 0845 hours, apparently unaware of the strike by their teachers.
Madam Vicentia Tsigbe, a parent, appealed to the government to give the teachers a listening ear for the sake of the children.
A female teacher from one of the schools, who spoke to the GNA on condition of anonymity, said although the strike would affect the academic calendar of both basic and senior high schools, it was a last resort because the government was yet to address their demands.
“It seems strike action by workers is the only language that the government understands,” she noted.
Mr Evans Akpah, Assembly Member for the Adaklu Kodzobi Electoral Area, said while the concerns of the teachers were legitimate and deserved attention, frequent strikes disrupted academic work and the school calendar and ultimately undermined the quality of education.
“Over the years, strike actions by teacher unions have been a major factor in the disruption and alterations of academic calendars in the country,” he stated.
Mr Akpah said it was time the unions and relevant government institutions returned to the drawing board to find a more sustainable way of resolving disputes before they escalated into strikes.
“When doctors and nurses go on strike the consequences can be immediate and visible, sometimes resulting in the loss of lives, but the impact of teachers’ strikes may not be immediate or easily observed but it can be equally profound.
“Every day a child spends away from the classroom represents a loss of learning time which can have a lasting consequence for their academic development and future,” he stated.
Mr Akpah called for a more sustainable approach to handling industrial disputes in the education sector.
“We cannot continue going in circles with repeated strikes which disrupt the education of our children,” he noted.
He said at a time when educational outcomes remained a concern, the country needed proactive and sustainable measures to prevent recurring disruptions.
“When two elephants fight it is the grass that suffers, in this case it is our students who suffer the most, their education is disrupted, their future is put at risk, and the country ultimately bears the consequences,” he said.
Mr Akpah urged all parties involved to act with urgency, return to the negotiating table and find a lasting solution to the impasse so that “our students can return to school and continue their education.”
The three teacher unions involved in the industrial action are the Ghana National Association of Teachers, the National Association of Graduate Teachers and the Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana.
According to the unions, the strike followed the government’s failure to pay promotion arrears and resolve outstanding issues concerning teachers’ conditions of service.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/Lydia Kukua Asamoah