President of the Coalition of Concerned Teachers and spokesperson for the three striking teacher unions, King Ali Awudu, has reassured parents that missed lessons will be made up for once the impasse with the government is resolved and teachers return to the classroom.
There has been particular concern among final year Junior High School students about how the strike might affect their preparation for the upcoming Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
Mr. Awudu addressed these concerns, emphasizing that as teachers, they are committed to ensuring the success of their students. He pointed out that during the COVID-19 pandemic, when schools were closed for months, teacher unions had devised strategies to continue teaching lessons, indicating their dedication to students’ education.
He made these remarks during an interview on JoyFM’s Newsnight on Tuesday, March 26.
“For the lost time, as teachers we have always done it. For example, when the Covid came and teachers were at home for about 10 months, it was we [teacher unions] that proposed to the government that we wanted to work extra to make up for the lost time. That is why we introduced this semester system in the basic school and all that, where for about four to five months continuously, the children were in school and we were teaching them.
“You go to the Senior High School and additional hours were added to the timetable at no additional remuneration to the teacher. We love the kids and no teacher wants his or her students to fail exams. So, most definitely when we go back we teach them and we know how we are going to handle matters to make up for the lost time. That one I promise you, we are going to handle matters to make up the lost time,”he reiterated.
The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT-Gh) initiated a nationwide strike on March 20.
The strike stemmed from the failure to finalize a new collective agreement by the agreed-upon deadline of February 29, 2024.
While the strike was ongoing, the National Labour Commission (NLC) reported progress in negotiations with the striking teachers. During a key meeting in Accra on March 26, the Commission successfully addressed three of the nine concerns raised by the teacher unions.
These included the provision of laptops, the reinstatement of salaries blocked by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), and the establishment of terms of service for teachers.
The NLC clarified that discussions would continue with teachers regarding the remaining six concerns. Despite these advancements, the striking unions have not yet called off the strike.