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National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) has denied claims that they are holding their students ransom with their recent strike action. NAGRAT and GNAT are on strike following what they call failure of government and other relevant stakeholders to address their grievances relating to their conditions of service. Many have described the action as unreasonable especially knowing that they (teachers) need to help the final year students prepare for the West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). Contributing to a panel discussions on Monday�s edition of �Kokrokoo� with host Kwami Sefa-Kayi, Bernard Mornah, General Secretary of the People�s National Convention (PNC) described the action of the teachers as �dangerous�. According to him, it can affect the future of the students. �This is a critical time�what will happen today can affect the future of our children. All teachers and workers can demand for full benefits but not hold us to hostage. For everything that is going on we can say that our teachers have chosen a wrong time to go on strike. I will plead with our teachers that while we hold the view that they have a right to demand their conditions of service; they should do it at a time that will not injure our children and our own future. We sympathize with them but they should not hold our hands back and asks us to box, I don�t think it is a right way to solve our national problems�� Bernard indicated. However, speaking on the same platform, Mr. Patrick Aboyibor, Greater Accra Regional Chairman of NAGRAT said it is not right to say that they are holding the students ransom with their demands. According to him, they should have gone on strike in January but per government�s intervention and promises they suspended it. However, �we have resumed the strike action because the problems were not fulfilled. It is not true that we are holding the students ransom, we had wanted to go on strike in January�we don�t have any specific time of going on strike. This is the most convenient time we think we can go on strike� Asked when they will return to the classroom, he indicated that until they receive a letter from the Accountant General�s Department indicating that the money have been deposited in their account, �we are not returning to the classroom�. Meanwhile, reports rife from most of our correspondents in the various regions indicates that in some of the schools they visited, the teachers were absent, leaving the students on their own. Other schools, however, had some teachers present but were just walking around idly or conversing.