The National Council of Parent-Teacher Associations (NC-PTAs), Ghana, has declared its support for striking pre-tertiary teacher unions and called on President John Mahama to urgently intervene to resolve the dispute and restore normal academic activities in schools.
In a solidarity statement issued on Wednesday, September 30, under the theme “No Nation Can Rise Above the Welfare and Quality of Its Teachers,” the NC-PTAs described the teachers’ demands as legitimate and cited delayed promotions, unpaid arrears, the implementation of revised collective agreements and a 20 per cent deprived-area allowance among the issues underlying the industrial action.
The Council said years of unfulfilled promises and abandoned memoranda of understanding (MOUs) had eroded teachers’ confidence in government assurances and contributed to what it described as a credibility deficit between teachers and the government.
“The NC-PTAs – Ghana stands in full solidarity with pre-tertiary teacher unions. Their demands are legitimate and justified. No nation can rise above the welfare and quality of its teachers,” the statement said.
The Council maintained that the strike should not be viewed solely as a labour dispute but also as a crisis affecting parents, families and pupils across the country.
It called on the government to take urgent and practical steps to address teachers’ concerns, fulfil its obligations and restore teaching and learning in public schools.
According to the NC-PTAs, repeated assurances without the full implementation of agreements had weakened teachers’ confidence in the government’s efforts to resolve their grievances.
“Despite assurances from the government, there is a deep credibility deficit. Years of unfulfilled promises and abandoned MOUs have left teachers with no option but to strike for their bread and butter issues,” the statement said.
The Council urged the government to treat teachers as a vital national resource rather than a financial burden.
“The Ghanaian teacher is a national asset we must protect, not a cost on the national purse,” it stated.
It added that investment in teachers’ welfare was essential to Ghana’s security and future prosperity.
“Investment in teacher welfare is not expenditure – it is national security and future prosperity,” the Council said.
The NC-PTAs further stressed that teachers’ working conditions and welfare directly affected the quality of education delivered to children, making the resolution of the dispute a matter of national importance.
It therefore called on the government to move beyond assurances and take concrete action to address the concerns of the striking teachers and enable schools to resume normal academic activities.
