We won’t return to the classroom without concrete solutions – NAGRAT

The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) has declared that teachers will not return to the classroom until the government resolves the issues that have sparked their ongoing strike. Jacob Anaba, NAGRAT's president, emphasized that resuming work without concrete solutions would disrespect the concerns raised by teachers.

Speaking to JoyNews’ Newsfile, Anaba stated that the unions have been engaging the government on the issues for months and want formal agreements to be documented before calling off the strike. "We want to go back to the classroom with some respect and honor. How are you going to explain? The teacher is already complaining. The teacher is not happy. So to call off this strike now will not be in the best interest of all of us."

The three major pre-tertiary teacher unions - NAGRAT, the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), and the Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG) - initiated an indefinite strike on September 25 due to a variety of concerns. These include promotion-related payments, the expired Collective Agreement, and the Deprived Area Allowance. Innovative teachers have also joined in the industrial action.

Anaba highlighted that the Collective Agreement expired in June, while ongoing discussions about a new agreement have yet to conclude. He also pointed out delays in assigning teachers who passed promotion exams to the appropriate salary scale. Regarding the Deprived Area Allowance, Anaba mentioned that teachers have been advocating for this issue for years and seek a formal commitment from the government before accepting the latest proposal.

The government has proposed measures to address these concerns, such as processing payments for promoted teachers and introducing a 20% Deprived Area Allowance from January 2027. However, the unions expressed a need to verify these proposals and require documented commitments before deciding to suspend the strike. Anaba expressed the unions' readiness to continue discussions with the government, with further engagements planned to tackle the outstanding issues. "Let’s solve the issues and then we’ll go back," he concluded.