8-week CETAG strike: Teacher trainees demand temporary closure of 46 colleges

A group of worried teacher trainees in the Ashanti region is calling for the temporary closure of all 46 Colleges of Education in the nation.

The government broke its pledge to execute outstanding mandatory arbitration awards, compelling the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) to boycott classes.

The students claim that the industrial action is having a negative effect on their mental and academic well-being.

All 46 education colleges still have unfilled classrooms.

“We are in limbo, unsure whether to stay on campus or return home. Our academic progress is stalled, jeopardizing our future as qualified teachers. The financial burden is affecting our mental health and well-being,” Convener of the group, Manuel Opoku Duah, said in a report by myjoyonline.com.

The standoff has left the students stranded.

“We demand that the Colleges of Education be closed, and students allowed to return home since it has been more than 21 days without students engaging with their teachers. There should be a consideration of the implementation of the IN-IN-OUT system so that level 400 trainees would return to campus since most of their tenancy agreements would expire in October. We can’t continue to bear this uncertainty,” Mr Opoku Duah said.

Concerns among the students also stem from the non-payment of trainee allowances for six months which cover their cost of living.

KA/ ADG