School heads appeal to government to address teachers’ concerns

Heads of some Senior High Schools in the Sunyani Municipality have called on the Government to take immediate steps to address concerns of striking teachers in the interest of the final year students.

They admitted that though teachers’ nationwide industrial action was not the best and would adversely affect students’ performance, the conditions of service of teachers should also be worked out once and for all.

They made the call when Ghana News Agency (GNA) visited some of the senior high schools in Sunyani on Monday.

At the Sunyani SHS, few teachers were seen outside the classrooms while students roamed on the compound.

Mrs Georgina Boakye, Headmistress of the school, emphasised the need for the Government to dialogue with the various trade unions in the education sector and find lasting solution to teachers’ concerns.

She said the school authorities had met with some of the 98 teachers to find means to assist the 1,339 final year students who were preparing for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

Mrs Boakye said the school’s terminal examination would begin from Tuesday March 19, and was considering how best the internal examination could be organised for the students.

The situation was not different at the Twene Amanfo Senior High and Technical School (TASTECH) as not many had reported when the GNA visited the school around 1030 hours.

Students were seen in their classrooms but the few reported teachers sat at the school’s staff common room.

Mr Peter Hayford Appiah, Headmaster of the School, admitted that the decision of the teachers was not the best but teachers had been taken for granted for a long time.

At the Saint James Seminary SHS at Abesim and Odumaseman SHS at Odumase in the Sunyani West District, most of the classrooms were empty with few teachers seen in the school.