Pupil weeps over teachers' continued strike action

Tema, Oct 25, GNA - A class four pupil of Tema Star Basic School, Papa Yeboah Aitpillah Akpoh on Tuesday morning broke down uncontrollably when he went to school and realized again that they could not have classes due to the continued strike action by their teachers.

He returned home by 0830 hours in tears and reported to her mother that the doors were still locked and that there was nobody on sight. Papa Akpoh told a Ghana News Agency reporter who chanced on him weeping that apart from the strike disrupting his academic work and thereby delaying his future prospects, he was always left alone at home since the action began about a month ago.

'Most of the time, I get glued to the television set watching all kinds of programmes but when there is power outage, I become so sad and lonely that I feel like spoiling things,' the nine-year-old pupil said dejectedly.

A visit to some of the schools, namely Tema Community Five Number three, Akodzo JSS, Twedaase and Oninku Drive showed that they still remained closed with few children loitering around.

Meanwhile, the executive members of the Tema branch of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) appealed to the striking teachers to rescind their decision and resume work in the interest of the children while negotiations continued.

'We are appealing to them to return to the classroom because when two elephants fight it is the grass that suffers,' Mr George Asare Yamoah, Tema Municipal GNAT chairman restated.

The Municipal GNAT Secretary, Mr Robert Addotey, said national executives were working to radically transform the salary structure and other conditions of service and that the negotiations were proceeding unhindered so there was no need for the strike action.