NCPTA backs striking teacher unions, urges parents to keep children at home

The National Council of Parent-Teacher Associations (NCPTAs) in Ghana has voiced its full support for striking teacher unions, recognizing their demands as both legitimate and justified. The Council emphasized the importance of teacher welfare to national development, stating that "no nation can rise above the welfare and quality of its teachers."

Ghanaian teachers are currently on picket lines due to a variety of grievances, including delayed promotions, unpaid salary arrears, and the implementation of revised collective agreements. The Council highlighted the 20% deprived area allowance as another point of contention. It argued that teachers should be seen as a national asset rather than a cost to the state, and that investments in their welfare should be viewed not just as expenditure but as an investment in national security and future prosperity.

The strike has had a significant impact on parents, who have made considerable financial sacrifices to prepare their children for school. These include expenses on uniforms, sandals, books, chop boxes, provisions, and transportation. The Council noted that all these investments are now idle, while students sitting their Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and Senior High School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) are also affected.

The Council expressed serious concern over empty classrooms and school compounds, describing the situation as a "parental crisis, a family crisis." It compared the current state of affairs to the proverb "When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers," implying that "the grass is our child." In response to this crisis, the Council has urged parents to keep their children at home until the teachers return to school.

The NCPTAs appealed to President John Dramani Mahama to personally mediate the dispute, directing the relevant government ministers to work towards an immediate resolution. They also called on politicians, traditional rulers, religious leaders, and other influential figures to support efforts to resolve the impasse. The Council urged the government to "go the extra mile" to address the teachers' concerns, asking them to put aside political differences and focus on resolving the issue at hand.

The NC-PTAS concluded by underscoring the crucial role teachers play in Ghana's development, stating, "The hand that holds chalk, holds our future."