President of the Coalition of Concerned Teachers and spokesperson of the three string Teacher unions, King Ali Awudu, has assured parents that they would make up for missed lessons when they return to the classroom after the impasse with the government is resolved.
Final year Junior High School students in particular have expressed concern about the impact of the strike on their preparation for the upcoming Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
According to Mr Awudu, there was no need for these concerns because, as teachers, they are committed to ensuring the success of their students.
Speaking on JoyFM’s Newsnight on Tuesday, March 26, he recounted how teacher unions had devised strategies to teach lessons after the COVID-19 pandemic had forced schools to close down for months.
“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.
“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,”he reiterated.
On March 20, the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT-Gh) declared a nationwide strike.
They stated that the strike follows the negotiation of a new collective agreement that should have been completed on or before February 29, 2024, but that was not done.
Meanwhile, the National Labour Commission (NLC) said it has made some progress regarding negotiations with the striking teachers.
At a crucial meeting in Accra on March 26, the Commission resolved three out of the nine concerns raised by the teacher unions.
These issues include the provision of laptops, the reinstatement of salaries blocked by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), and the establishment of terms of service for teachers.
The NLC clarified that negotiations will continue with teachers regarding the remaining six concerns.
Despite this headway, the striking unions are yet to back down.