Strikes: Ghana’s educational sector in turmoil – Apaak

The deputy ranking member on the Education Committee in Parliament, Dr. Clement Apaak has bemoaned the industrial unrest in the country.

The educational sector has been hit with multiple strike actions in recent times with some of the teacher unions at the negotiation table with National Labour Commission (NLC) and Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC).

University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) and others are out of the classroom as a result of various reasons such as the government’s inability to meet their demands.

According to most of the Unions, their strike actions are borne out of the lackadaisical attitude in responding to several letters written to the government to address their grievance but with no response whatsoever.

Commenting on the strike actions, the deputy ranking member on Education described the development as unprecedented.

“As I write, all teaching staff, and most non-teaching staff of public tertiary educational institutions in Ghana, under the Ministry of Education are on strike: UTAG, TEWU, GAUA, SSA, CETAG, CENTSAG, TUTAG.

“Unprecedented, and a clear indication that our educational sector is in turmoil. Remember that Pre-tertiary education unions were compelled to return to the classroom by a court order, while negotiations with the government on their issues continued,” Mr. Apaak stated.

He has therefore called on the government to as a matter of urgency resolve the impasse that has brought the educational sector to this unfortunate point.