Cooks replace teachers during strike

Cooks and other non-teaching staff in the basic and second cycle institutions across the country have taken over the work of teachers as the strike action of the two leading teaching bodies takes effect.

In most of the senior high schools visited by Joy FM’s correspondents in parts of the country, the non-teaching staff have taken over responsibilities of supervising student activities, especially in boarding schools.

In some schools, teachers are present but are confined to their staff common rooms, the correspondents observed.

The leadership of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) embarked on a nationwide strike, effective Monday, for what they describe as gross disregard for their concerns and a breach of trust.

As a result, students in some day-Schools have virtually abandoned the classrooms with some loitering in town.

However, Joy News' Hannah Odame who visited some schools in the Greater Accra region reported that some teachers were yet to join their colleagues on strike.

For instance, at the Rangoon Basic School at Cantonments, the teachers said they were waiting for a directive from the national secretariat.

The teachers there maintained that they had been handling the final year students for three years and would not abandon them at the critical moment when they are preparing for their final examinations.

But pupils at Kanda Cluster of Schools were having a field day as they loitered about because not a single teacher had reported to school, Hannah Odame gathered.

Meanwhile the officer in charge of schools in the Ayawaso East constituency, Dr Samuel Adonti, told Joy News the teachers were not present in most of the schools he toured to assess the impact of the strike action.

He therefore appealed to the government to come to address the concerns of the teachers to enable them return to the classrooms.

At the Labone Senior High School, students writing the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) were being supervised. The teachers explained that they were yet to receive a directive asking them to lay down their tools.

Also at the St. Thomas Aquinas Senior High School, the head teacher, Mr James Dapaah, held a meeting with the teachers and appealed to them to supervise the WASSCE candidates.

“Teachers are not going to teach as such, just to be around to maintain the atmosphere of the school and have some form of protection guidance,” he said.

Some students of the school also expressed frustration over the development, which they believe will seriously affect the final year students.

In the Central region, Richard Kwadjo Nyarko reported that NAGRAT executives have sent a monitoring team to assess compliance with their decision to strike.

In schools that he visited, teachers were either idling in the staff common rooms or were not in school at all.

They accused the authorities of “not being fair to the teachers”.

The situation was not different in the Western and Ashanti regions where Kweku Owusu Peprah and Ohemeng Tawiah reported from.

Some schools like Abuakwa Primary School in the Ashanti Region were closed down when our correspondent visited some of the schools.

Meanwhile, Information Minister, Mahama Ayariga says government is ready to continue emergency meeting called yesterday to discuss the impasse.

He told Joy News, the leadership of GNAT is expected to brief NAGRAT before that meeting possibly by the close of day tomorrow.

But President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers, Christian Addae Poku tells Joy News the group is yet to receive formal briefing on yesterday’s meeting at the Flag Staff House.

According to him the Association will not back down on its stance.

Meanwhile, Chief Executive of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, George Smith Graham insists the issues raised by the teachers are being resolved and does not warrant the action taken