By Seth Danquah, GNA
Takoradi, Oct. 03, GNA – Public basic schools across the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis remain under lock and key following the ongoing nationwide industrial action by pre-tertiary teacher unions, leaving classrooms deserted and pupils stranded.
A field visit by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) across several communities in the twin-city revealed locked gates, empty playgrounds and padlocked classrooms at primary and Junior High Schools (JHS) that would ordinarily be bustling with academic activity.
The shutdown follows the decision by major teacher unions – including the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT-Ghana) – to embark on strike over unresolved grievances with government.
Among their primary demands are payment of outstanding promotion allowances, arrears, improved working conditions and allowances for teachers in deprived areas.
At several basic schools visited within the metropolis, school gates were secured with padlocks. A few bewildered pupils who turned up early in the morning were seen returning home after finding no teachers on site.
“We came to school expecting to write our class exercises, but the classrooms are locked. We don’t know when we will be coming back,” said a Form Two JHS pupil in Takoradi.
Parents in the metropolis who spoke with the GNA expressed worry over the prolonged closure, warning that continuous disruption to the academic calendar could severely affect pupil performance, particularly those preparing for final examinations.
The situation is further compounded as staff at tertiary institutions, including Takoradi Technical University (TTU), are also on strike, effectively paralysing public education from the basic to the university level across the region.
While leadership of the striking unions maintains that members would not return to the classroom until concrete agreements are signed and implemented by the Ministry of Education and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, parents and residents in Sekondi-Takoradi continue to appeal to both parties to reach a swift resolution.
GNA
Edited by Justina Hilda Paaga /Kenneth Odeng Adade