The Ghana Education Service (GES) has directed heads of Basic Schools not to shut down despite the ongoing strike by the four teacher unions.
A July 5, 2022 statement issued by the Service said that heads of schools have been asked to mobilise their management teams to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all students in schools.
“Regional and District Directors have further been directed to ensure that Basic School Heads keep schools opened and closely supervise all children who report to school pending further directives from Management of GES”, a portion of the statement reads.
This follows an indefinite nationwide strike by the four teacher unions which took effect Monday, July 4.
According to the unions, the industrial action is meant to drive home their demands for Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) which have so far fallen on the deaf ears of the government.
In a joint press statement issued and signed by the leadership of the unions, made up of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), the Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers Ghana (CCT), they requested that the 20% of their basic salary to be paid to them.
Noting that Management of the GES got news of the industrial action through the media, the Service announced that leadership of the Unions have been “invited to a meeting to discuss the development and the way forward.”
The statement signed by Cassandra Twum Ampofo, Head of the Public Relations Unit of GES, advised parents to remain calm and be assured that management is closely monitoring the situation and will advise on the way forward accordingly.
Meanwhile, the Ghana TVET Service says its personnel are not part of the ongoing strike by GNAT, NAGRAT, CCT and TEWU.
They said that their teachers are at post and rendering the needed services.
Kindly read the full statement from GES below:
