Students affected by the three teacher unions strike have appealed to aggrieved teachers to return to the classroom to enable them to complete their end of semester examination.
The students made the appeal when GBC’s Radio Ghana visited some public senior high schools in the capital following the strike declared by Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT).
Though not much was seen on day one of the strike by the teacher unions, there were fears that when the problem is not resolved early enough it could disrupt the academic calendar.
The first school visited was the Osu Presbyterian Senior High School. Not much was seen of the strike as the students had converged on the school’s assembly hall for the annual festival of nine lessons and carols.
Though majority of the teachers were not around a few of them were spotted helping out with the carols service.
Speaking to GBC’s Radio Ghana the headmaster of the school, Mawuli Katso said it was early days yet to comment on the strike as the school was not engaged in any active academic work at the time of visit. He said things would be a lot clearer by close of day. Mr. Katso called for the impasse to be resolved early in order not to disrupt the academic calendar.
The next school visited was Labone Senior High School. The students had just finished with dinning at the time of visit. However, some of the students were spotted loitering around.
The students, most of whom were not aware of the strike action by their teachers, agreed something was not right.
The headmistresses who spoke off the record denied teachers at the school were on strike. She said everything was set for a takeoff of the end of semester Examination.
She noted any attempt to embark on an industrial action would put a lot of pressure on teachers to complete the academic calendar.
Things were not so different at the St. Thomas Aquinas Senior High School at cantonments. Students were spotted busily engaged in group discussion. The students in an interaction said they were carrying out last minute preparations for the end of term examination which they said they were taking in batches.
With bags packed in front of a block they were using for the Oral paper, teachers were also spotted invigilating the examination Ambiance.
Speaking to GBC’s Radio Ghana on anonymity, a teacher asked his fellow colleagues to attach a human face to all that they do. The students in all the schools visited were unanimous in appealing to for teachers return to the classroom to enable them complete the semester successfully.
In the Ashanti Region, GBC’s Nicholas Osei-Wusu says while the strike is biting hard in Public Basic Schools, the situation is entirely the opposite in Public Senior High Schools.
