Address the plight of teachers!

OVER the past years, teachers have resorted to strike actions as a means of expressing their grievances in order to get government to address their concerns.

AND anytime such events happen students are the ones who suffer the most as often their studies and academic calendars are disrupted.

IT is therefore refreshing to hear the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) calling off a 3-day old strike it embarked on.

NAGRAT called off its 3-day strike and asked its members to return to the classroom to perform their normal duties.

Mr Christian Addai-Poku, President of NAGRAT, who announced the decision at a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, said it was as a result of extensive briefing it received from Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, Minister of Education and the Ghana Education Service (GES), at a meeting on Tuesday March 2, on efforts to settle the grievances of members.

He said the national executive Committee of NAGRAT was fully convinced that their members would receive their entitlements by the close of the week.
According to NAGRAT, it now has in its hands a copy of the cheque for GH¢10 million written by the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning for the payment of allowances due them.

Government on Friday, February 26, released GH¢10 million to the GES for the payment of all outstanding arrears due members of the service nationwide, but this did not convince NAGRAT and it went ahead and embarked on a strike action.

It is gratifying that government is doing all it can to address the grievances of the teachers to enable them go back to the classroom to teach.

On other hand, it is very disgusting to always see teachers go on strike before government zooms in to address whatever is due them.

The billion dollar question Today wants to ask is that why does government always wait for teachers to go on strike before addressing their concerns?

Is it that the government intentionally refuses to heed to the requests of teachers concerning their plights in the country?

In any case, are we trying to say that there are no funds available to be given to teachers in this country? Every year, teachers have to go on strike to express their grievances. And that to us should be a thing of the past.

Today takes this opportunity to advise government to give what is due the teachers to avoid further industrial actions in the near future.