Education Ministry tells teacher unions: The government is addressing issues and calling off strikes.

The Ministry of Education has appealed to the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG) to call off their strike as government works to address their concerns.

The unions declared an immediate strike on Friday, September 25, over unresolved issues relating to their conditions of service, promotions and the payment of deprived-area allowances.

Speaking to Citi News, Spokesperson for the Education Ministry, Hashmin Mohammed, said government had made significant progress in addressing the concerns raised by the unions.

He said the strike could undermine efforts to restore the academic calendar, which has seen pupils and students at different levels of education return to school in September.

“It took this government a lot of effort to be able to reverse the academic calendar. For the first time, in many years, we are having schoolchildren from KG through primary, Junior High School, Senior High School, and then university reporting to school in September,” he said.

Mr Mohammed said the Ministry was concerned that the strike could frustrate the gains made in restoring the academic calendar.

According to him, the Education Minister, Haruna Iddrisu, has been engaging relevant stakeholders to resolve the issues.

He added that the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) and the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) were expected to engage the unions to find a resolution to the outstanding matters.

“It is our expectation that the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) and then the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) will be able to engage the teacher unions so that collectively we can find a solution to this issue,” he said.

Mr Mohammed further appealed to the unions to reconsider their decision and call off the strike.