The three striking teacher unions – the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT) have promised to catch up for the lost time when their actions are over.
According to the unions, they will return to the classroom after their grievances with the government are resolved and continue executing their teaching tasks respectively.
The nationwide strike jointly declared by the three teacher unions, beginning on Wednesday, March 20, 2024, stems from the government’s negligence in addressing their conditions of service.
Following this, parents of students at the basic school levels (JHS) especially final year students have raised concerns about the impact of the strike, as their children prepare for the upcoming Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
In response, the President of the Coalition of Concerned Teachers and Spokesperson of the three string Teacher unions, King Ali Awudu says parents should not worry because as teachers they remain committed to ensuring the student’s success.
According to him, as done in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era to cover up the syllabus, they will equally replicate the same feat with strategies being put in place.
“For the lost time, as teachers, we have always done it. For example, when the Covid came and teachers were at home for about 10 months, it was we [teacher unions] that proposed to the government that we wanted to work extra to make up for the lost time.
That is why we introduced this semester system in the basic school and all that, where for about four to five months continuously, the children were in school, and we were teaching them,” he said in an interview on Joy FM.
He stressed that “You go to the Senior High School and additional hours were added to the timetable at no additional remuneration to the teacher. We love the kids, and no teacher wants his or her students to fail exams.
So, most definitely when we go back, we teach them, and we know how we are going to handle matters to make up for the lost time. That one I promise you; we are going to handle matters to make up the lost time.”
