The Eastern Region branch of National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) has joined calls for nationwide strike over failure on the part of government to pay teachers 20% cost of living allowance (COLA).
Addressing the media in Koforidua on Friday, the Eastern Regional Chairman of NAGRAT Godwin Awoonor -Yevu said teachers in Ghana are virtually living on “life support ” as a result of the unbearable hardship as “cost of living in Ghana today is rising with the speed of light which has and continue to affect livelihood of our members who are sacrificing to build this nation ”
He explained further that “prices of fuel, good and services continue to rise, introduction of new taxes had worsen the already bad situation, yet the teacher’s salary remain the same . Between January and now, fuel prices have increased by over 50%”
Goodwin Awoonor -Yevu stated that government’s failure to listen to Labour Unions call for 20% COLA to cushion public service workers since 2021 has brought the teacher union to its wits end.
“We can no longer bear the pain. We therefore demand of our national leadership that ” if at the end of June ,2022 ,our COLA is not heeded to ,they have no option than to pay heed to clarion calls of our members to lay down our tools”.
He said members of the association will abandon the students preparing to write the 2022 West Africa Secondary Schools Certificate Examination (WASSCE) regardless the negative implication if the intended strike action happens.
He, therefore, admonished parents , guardians and all stakeholders to join NAGRAT pile pressure on government to pay the COLA for the teachers.
He said the association will not listen to anybody to call off the strike after declaring the strike action.
“The children (WASCE Students ) we consider their plight .As teachers we took them from form one up to form three and up to now as far us the government has not listen and if that will be the case we want the government to look up to the WASSCE students and then listen to our call and then give us what we need so that we the teachers we can avoid laying down out tools .
“If it does at the end of this month ,we will not listen to anybody irrespective of the WASSCE students who will be writing their exams we will continue to lay down our tools untill the government listens”
Mr.Awoonor -Yevu explained that the teaching profession is experiencing unprecedented attrition rate due to poor condition of service which continue to deteriorate.
“A lot of teachers have left the profession but those of us who are committed to teaching that we want to build our children so that they will also come up and take different professional status they deem it fit that is why we are calling on the government to listen to teachers and give us what is due us.
Some of the Zonal Chairmen of NAGRAT who spoke to Starr News said , they are reeling under serious challenges as a result of the free Senior High School policy .
“When you are a housemaster or HOD ,all year round you will be working without even responsibility allowance.
“The form ones will be living while the form twos Will come .The form threes are already in school and some headmasters are saying that you to teach all the tracks so there is no time that the teacher can have a rest and it it affecting even the health of teachers and if you don’t come to school for one or two days you will be queried .
“All these things are affecting teachers and even affecting the quality of teaching so we are begging the government to listen to us so that there will be relief for the teachers so that we can also dove out our hearts and work. We are unable to fulfil our responsibilities in homes,” said Kwakye Seth , Asamankese Zonal Chairman of NAGRAT.
The Koforidua Zonal Chairman of NAGRAT, Boakye Acheampong lamented to Starr News that “Most of us we don’t have accommodations on campus .
“We have to commute from far and near to the schools and now we cannot buy fuel. You buy Ghc100 it is just for a day if you multiply Ghc100 by 30 days it is about Ghc3000 but my salary is not up to GHC3000 and my fuel alone is Ghc3000 how do I survive.
“So what we are saying is that we have been talking and talking and talking. I want my information to get to the general public.
“Now that we are making the noise, nobody seems to be listening to us to tell the government this is what the teachers are saying so do something as soon as we strike then they come and tell as we are insensitive”.
