GNACOPS react to public school teachers’ strike affecting students

The Executive Director of Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS), Enoch Gyetuah says the ongoing public school teachers’ strike action which began March 20, 2024, has affected 8.1 million students’ academic progress.

Speaking in an interview on Education TV monitored by Thisterm.com, the GNACOPS Director said the industrial action, which has left countless classrooms empty, underscores the deep-rooted issues within the public education sector.

He said while public school teachers nationwide protest for better working conditions and remuneration, their counterparts in the private sector remain fully dedicated to fostering learning and development.

Enoch Kwasi Gyetuah pointed out that the central government seems indifferent to the concerns of public school teachers, possibly because many government officials opt for private education for their own children.

“The government of Ghana is not listening to the public school teachers since they feel that their children are being taught in private schools,” the Director of the Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS) told Education TV.

He added “The same teachers who are on strike are also ensuring that their wards too are in the private schools enjoying learning. This shows how private education in Ghana is playing a pivotal role in education delivery in Ghana.”

Gyetuah said amid the prolonged nationwide public school teachers’ strike action, concerned parents are questioning the government’s commitment to resolving the crisis and ensuring quality education for all Ghanaian children.

“As the government school teachers strike action prolongs, the stark divide between public and private education has become more pronounced, raising concerns about access and equity in the nation’s schooling system,” he stated.

Citing poor condition of service, three pre-tertiary teacher unions on Wednesday, March 20 declared a nationwide strike action to register their displeasure over the central government’s delay in addressing their work conditions of service.

The striking teacher unions are the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT-Gh).

In a statement issued on Wednesday, March 20, the unions stated that their intent to embark on the industrial action stems from the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service’s delay in addressing their conditions of service.