By Daniel Agbesi Latsu
Kadjebi (O/R), Oct. 2, GNA – Parents of Kadjebi District of the Oti Region have appealed to the government and striking teacher unions to urgently resolve their differences and reopen public schools to prevent further disruption to teaching and learning.
To them, each day their children remained at home represented more than a missed lesson, “it is a day of learning lost and uncertainty about their children’s academic future”.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Mr George Dorhame, a 54-year-old parent at Tadzewu Kpodzi, a suburb of Kadjebi, said he was worried about the amount of instructional time learners were losing.
The parents said while they recognised teachers’ right to demand improved working conditions, the continued closure of schools was placing an increasing burden on families and could undermine learners’ academic progress.
“Children are at home when they are supposed to be in school learning. Every day this continues, they are losing something that cannot easily be recovered,” he said.
Mr Dorhame appealed to the Government and the teacher unions to return to the negotiation table and settle the outstanding issues in the interest of learners.
He said parents had invested time and resources in their children’s education and could not afford prolonged disruption to the academic calendar.
Ms Dzifa Dzomeku, another parent whose daughter is in senior high school, said the situation was particularly worrying for parents whose children were preparing for important examinations.
She said prolonged interruption of academic work could put pressure on teachers and learners when schools eventually reopened, as they would have to make up for lost instructional time.
Ms Dzomeku urged the parties to demonstrate commitment to dialogue and reach an agreement that would enable teachers to return to the classrooms.
Mr Frank Agyemang, a parent at Kadjebi Central, said the strike had brought uncertainty to families because parents could not predict when normal teaching and learning would resume.
He said although the teachers had legitimate concerns that needed attention, the education of children should not suffer for an extended period.
Mr Agyemang appealed to the Government to treat the matter as urgent and engage the unions continuously until an agreement was reached.
The three teacher unions – the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers, Ghana (CCT-Ghana) – declared the industrial action on September 25, 2026.
The unions are demanding payment of salary arrears for teachers who were promoted but had not received the corresponding salaries, payment of the 20 per cent deprived-area teacher allowance and the renewal of their Collective Agreement.
The parents called for a speedy resolution of the dispute, saying learners should not bear the consequences of disagreements between their teachers and the Government.
They urged both sides to prioritise dialogue and the uninterrupted education of children in finding a lasting solution to the impasse.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/Linda Asante Agyei