Continue to bear with us—Private school teachers urged

He acknowledged that the standard of living has increased hence the demand for teachers in the public sector who have embarked on a strike action.

He further applauded the private school teachers for their purposefulness in managing the situation.

Reverend Robert Seddoh, who said this in an interview with Ghana News Agency said Private school teachers also feel the economic hardship but have been able to bear with their leadership since the schools itself were not seen to be making any profit recently.

“We understand our teachers are less paid, we continue to plead with them not to give up on us because we are all experiencing hardship as well,” he said.

The Chairman of Ghana private schools in the Volta region added that, despite the food shortage reported in most public schools, private schools are still determined to provide healthy meals to their students adding that, “we don’t make any profit these days, most of the cash goes into feeding and salary payment.”

He said the government should have extended financial assistance toward private schools because if not for private schools, unemployment would have been on a different scale.

Some of the teachers also mentioned they are not happy with their salary but “bad job is better than no job” has been the reason for their continued commitment to the teaching field.

Some staff of the private school mentioned parents are not seeking enrolment for their wards in the private schools during this strike period because of the economic hardship.

Four teacher unions comprising the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), the Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers Ghana (CCT), have declared an indefinite nationwide strike on Monday, July 4, over demands for the payment of the Cost-of-Living Allowance (COLA).

The unions were demanding 20 per cent of their basic salary.

They called off their strike action on Thursday, July 14, 2022, after the government agreed to a 15 per cent cost of living allowance (COLA) with Organised Labour.

A visit to some schools in the South Tongu District saw students in class with school activities ongoing.