Fred Abgenyo: Why is Govt And Teachers Making Students Suffer...

A member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) communication team, Fred Abgenyo, has bemoaned the blas� nature with government has handled the issue of teachers and the threat of strike. Speaking on Citi FMs �The Big Issues� programme saturday morning, he lamented as to why the government could not find a lasting solution to the recurring teachers strike actions when it gets to examinations time. �It hurts me why the authorities and leadership would sit back and wait for issues to get to this before they move in, because I know definitely once they move in, by Monday or Tuesday, the issue would be resolved". Teachers in the country declared a nationwide strike at a news conference on Friday March 15 2013. The teachers say they have four major grievances which have still not been addressed by the government despite several overtures in that regard. One of those major issues has to do with "delays in resolving outstanding issues concerning promotion". The two main teachers groups National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Ghana National Association of Teachers(GNAT), suspended an earlier declaration of strike earlier this year after the intervention of the Chief of Staff, Prosper Bani. Fred Agbenyo explained that the behavior of people in authority has sent a wrong signal to labour organizations �that the on language they understand is strike�. The NDC communicator could not believe the leadership of the teachers and government are making innocent children and parents pay for their inability to reach an amicable settlement to the issue of promotion and salaries in the teaching profession. He advised that one of the ways to cut down the threat of strikes by teachers is for government to sponsor the education of �at least one child of every teacher� and in his view, this would eliminate some of the reasons for strikes.