Ghanaian President John Mahama has personally intervened in the ongoing pre-tertiary teachers' strike, instructing government officials to take necessary steps to resolve the dispute and get teachers back to work. The strike, which has disrupted classrooms nationwide, has been ongoing for weeks. Mahama's intervention marks the most senior political response yet to the standoff.
According to government spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu, President Mahama has been fully briefed on the disruption caused by the industrial action and has given clear instructions. Ofosu confirmed the President's involvement in an interview with MyJoyOnline on Joy News' PM Express. He said the President has instructed that every necessary action be taken to ensure that teachers go back to the classroom.
Engagements with teacher unions are already underway, and Ofosu expressed confidence that the matter would be settled within days. He described teachers as "highly valued, highly respected human resources" whose prolonged absence from classrooms is something the country "can ill afford." Ofosu said the government is committed to settling the affected teachers' pay.
The sticking point in the negotiations is a technical gap between figures held by three different government bodies: the Accountant-General's Department, the Finance Ministry, and the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS). Ofosu said both the Finance Ministry and the Accountant-General's Department have indicated they have done their part, leaving a discrepancy with GSS figures that still needs to be resolved.
The industrial action has involved the withdrawal of services by the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and the Pre-Tertiary Teachers' Unions. The strike has had a significant impact on pupils, with schoolchildren in Kumasi pleading publicly with the government to end the strike as their classrooms sat empty.
The human cost of the standoff has been felt directly by pupils, with learning disrupted nationwide. The Ghana Education Service (GES) had set an October 5 deadline to resolve the underlying payment dispute. GNAT has warned that delayed promotions could cut into retiring teachers' pensions.
No fixed date for a full return to classrooms has been announced beyond Ofosu's expectation that the matter will be resolved "in a matter of days." The government faces separate political pressure, including a Minority motion seeking the recall of Parliament over concerns about Ghana becoming a drug transit hub.
Key points
- President John Mahama has intervened in the ongoing pre-tertiary teachers' strike in Ghana.
- The strike has disrupted classrooms nationwide, with a significant impact on pupils.
- The government is working to resolve a technical gap between figures held by different government bodies to settle the affected teachers' pay.
