By Isaac Arkoh
Cape Coast, Oct. 12, GNA – Teaching and learning have resumed in schools visited by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in the Cape Coast Metropolis following the suspension of the nationwide teachers’ strike on Monday.
Pupils and teachers were back in classrooms at schools including Catholic Jubilee School, Philip Quacoo Girls’ School, St Augustine’s Basic School, Adisadel Basic School, Ekon M/A Basic School, St Monica’s Girls’ Primary and Junior High Schools.
The GNA’s monitoring showed academic activities returning to normal after the pre-tertiary teacher unions suspended their industrial action on Friday, October 9 and directed members to return to work on Monday.
The strike, which began on September 25, was over outstanding promotion and placement arrears, conditions of service and deprived-area allowances.
The resumption followed an agreement with the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC), with discussions on some outstanding concerns expected to continue.
The return to school ends weeks of disruption that had left classrooms empty and pupils anxious about lost lessons and preparations for examinations.
A 12- year-old boy at Jubilee School who spoke to the GNA welcomed the return to school, saying they were happy to see their teachers resume lessons after two weeks away from the classroom.
Some students at St Monica’s School preparing for the Basic Education Certificate Examination said the strike had disrupted lessons and expressed the hope that their teachers would help them cover the lessons missed.
Others said they were eager to catch up with classmates in private schools to enable them to pass their exams.
Some teachers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they had resumed work in the interest of their pupils but expected the government to honour the commitments reached with the unions.
They said the strike had been a difficult decision but was intended to draw attention to concerns that had remained unresolved.
Parents the GNA caught up with as they took their children to school, expressed relief that classes had resumed, however, they lamented how the strike had disrupted family routines and raised concerns about children’s learning, particularly for pupils preparing for examinations.
The parents generally appealed to the government and teacher unions to sustain dialogue and resolve outstanding issues to prevent further interruptions to academic work.
GNA
Edited by Alice Tettey/Benjamin Mensah
Reporter: Isaac Arkoh
Email address: [email protected]