The educational system of the country has taken a downturn in recent times. Though teacher strikes have been an age-old problem, they have become even more rampant lately, which is very alarming. What may be responsible for this development? Could it be the lack of qualified teachers, the absence of schools, or the lack of teaching materials?
Although all these play a role in the decline of our education, the most prominent of them is the poor working conditions of teachers. These educators have been neglected for so long and their cries for attention have mostly fallen on the deaf ears of the government. In addition to the economic hardship, we are being faced with as a country, the government has failed to pay the cost-of-living allowance to the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT).
Its members want the government to give them a 20 per cent Cost Of Living Allowance (COLA) by the end of June 2022. The ultimatum is based on present economic realities and the worsening position of teachers, as well as the government’s failure to negotiate, according to Jacob Anaba, the Association’s Vice President. Leadership would be left with no option but to declare a strike by the end of July 2022, if all the requests made are not adhered to.
“Leadership hereby yields to the demand of members for positive action, beginning with the wearing of red bands by the end of June 2022, if the demands made are not met”, he added.
It is high time that the government paid careful and swift attention to the NAGRAT members and grant their requests to prevent another possible strike action as we know what dire effects that will have on the nation. When schools close down as a result of strike action, the academic calendar is disrupted and students are gravely affected with lots of course materials to catch up with which may lead to poor examination performance.
There may also be teacher redundancy when strikes last for a long period and some teachers may find other jobs and may never return to classrooms to teach when the strike is over. Parents will also be burdened with taking care of their children while they are out of school, often at an unbudgeted cost. The future of education in the country will continue to look grim if the government and other stakeholders do not mitigate the sharp decline in its quality.
Photo Credit: Education Ghana