Upper East Regional Chairman of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Maurice Korah, has questioned repeated appeals for teachers to exercise patience as their concerns remain unresolved amid an ongoing strike.
Mr Korah said teachers had already exercised considerable patience and called for concrete action to address the issues behind the industrial action.
Speaking on Bolga FM’s Timaaga Sanga, he questioned whether people urging teachers to continue waiting would accept similar delays when dealing with their own financial needs.
He illustrated his argument with the example of a teacher attempting to purchase an item without having enough money to pay the full price.
“If a teacher buys something from someone and asks that he or she doesn’t have money up to the price they are selling, will they accept?” he asked.
Mr Korah said teachers also had financial responsibilities and could not continue to be asked to wait indefinitely for their concerns to be addressed.
He therefore called on the government to engage teachers and other relevant stakeholders to find a lasting solution to the dispute and restore normal academic activities.
Mr Korah also called on parents and civil society organisations to increase pressure for a resolution, arguing that the consequences of the strike extend beyond teachers to students and their families.
“It is time for all parents and all civil society to rise up, even if it means that we demonstrate on the streets, to rather plead with the government, exercise restraint, patience, and attempt to resolve the issues,” he said.
He maintained that any action by parents and civil society should be directed towards encouraging dialogue and securing a resolution to the dispute.
Mr Korah warned that prolonged disruption to academic activities could have consequences for students and urged all parties to work towards an early resolution.
He called on the government to give serious attention to the concerns raised by teachers while urging the parties involved to remain committed to dialogue.
A1 Radio | 101.1 MHz | Mary Atiamah Aperika | Bolgatanga
