Commend Us For Our Patience – GNAT To Gov't

The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has called on the general public to acknowledge their patience over the payment of some arrears owed them by their employer for many years.

Three Teacher Unions — the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT) on December 5, 2019, declared a strike.

The nationwide industrial action took effect on Monday, December 9, 2019.

The Ministry of Education has described the strike by the three Teacher Unions as baseless.

With about a week for schools to go on vacation, the General Secretary of GNAT, Thomas Musah said teachers have demonstrated their patriotism and love for the country by their patience.

“Please let it be on record that teachers are patriotic, teachers love this country and they are ready to do anything for mother Ghana, if not for that teachers wouldn't have waited for seven good years for their money to be paid to them. Which other organisation can say that they can wait for such a period, it’s only teachers who have that patience to wait for seven good years for the monies to be paid. We have never complained we also say let’s get going for the sake of these children.

“The money has devalued, the things that we could use the money to do in 2012 we cannot use it to do now and I am saying that each and every time they go to the district education offices they are referred to the regional education offices, over there too they are referred to the GES headquarters and they spend their own funds on T and T and yet we are not complaining. We always tell our members to be patient and that the money will be paid, so if there is only one week left and our members have been able to wait seven years I think that as a people we need to commend the teachers and we need to give them a round of applause for what they have done over the seven years and that this time the money owed them should be given to them and not delayed any further”.

According to the teachers, checks have revealed that their arrears have been verified and approved for payment by the Controller and Accountant General's internal audit unit but the monies have not been released yet.

Despite the strike declared by three Teacher Unions, some public schools have seen teachers reporting to their posts for teaching duties.

The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT) declared the strike starting Monday over the non-payment of their arrears .

At the Archbishop Porter Girls' Senior High School in Sekondi-Takoradi for instance, the Headmistress of the school, Charlotte Asiedu Musah, told Citi News that classes have been ongoing as the Teacher Unions were yet to inform the school about any strike.

While some teachers in some schools in the Ashanti Region have complied with the strike, others have not. Lessons were in session at some of the schools Citi News visited.

—citinewsroom