The Director of Communications for the governing New Patriotic Party, Richard Ahiagbah has blamed the National Labour Commission and the Ministry of Education for failing to intervene timely to prevent the ongoing strike actions by the three Pre-Tertiary Teacher Unions in the country.

Mr Ahiagbah while accusing the above-mentioned parties of failing to take immediate steps to avert the strike action by the teacher unions, further emphasized the detrimental impact the strike is having on the education sector and the welfare of students as well.

“The ongoing Teacher Union strike is a disappointing situation that could have been avoided. It is disheartening to see that the following parties, the National Labour Commission and the Ministry of Education failed to take proactive measures to prevent it”.
Richard Ahiagbah, NPP Director of Communications

He began by chastising the National Labour Commission of failing to take proactive measures to avert the strike action despite being aware of its imminent possibility.

He argued that the National Labour Commission’s inaction has contributed to the current deadlock, exacerbating tensions between the government and the striking Teacher Unions.

Furthermore, Mr Ahiagbah while hailing the Ministry of Education for its commendable efforts under President Akufo-Addo and the New Patriotic Party’s administration, also chastised the ministry for what he described as its mishandling of the situation.

He accused the Ministry of Education of failing to effectively engage with the three Pre-Tertiary Teacher Unions including the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT) to address their grievances at the initial stage.

Teacher Unions Urged to Return to Classrooms

Moreover, the governing New Patriotic Party Director of Communications while acknowledging the Teacher Unions’ right to strike condemned their decision to leverage students’ education as a bargaining chip in their negotiations.

Describing the tactics deployed by the three teacher unions in the country as “excessive and unfair”, the Director of Communications of the ruling New Patriotic Party asserted that the situation places an undue burden on students and undermines their right to quality education.

Mr Ahiagbah further urged the leadership and membership of the three Teacher Unions in the country to listen to calls from the government and well-meaning Ghanaians to return to classrooms while their concerns are being addressed.

Highlighting the significant strides made by the government in support of teachers, including the termination of punitive policies inherited from previous administrations and the introduction of the Professional Teacher Allowance, Mr Ahiagbah emphasized the current government’s commitment to investing in the educational sector.

In addition, the ruling New Patriotic Party Director of Communications stressed that the ongoing deadlock must not overshadow the government’s unprecedented investment in education, which according to him totals GHC 114.5 billion.

Mr Ahiagbah, while urging the various stakeholders to take immediate steps to end the ongoing strike actions by the teacher unions asserted that any prolongation of the strike risks tarnishing the country’s progress achieved in education.

He also stated that the ongoing strike action if not resolved with urgency could also go a long way to jeopardize the educational prospects of the teeming youth of the country.

It is recalled that the three Pre-Tertiary Teacher Unions in the country which include the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT) have declared an industrial action since Thursday, March 21, 2024 .

The concerns of the three Teacher Unions include what it described as the government’s failure to fulfil its agreed allowances signed between the two parties in August 2020, the failure by the government to provide laptops to over 100,000 of its members and alleged embargo on some teachers’ salaries by the Office of the Special Prosecutor, among others.