The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) is advocating for an adjustment to the 2023/2024 academic calendar in the 46 Colleges of Education. This follows a six-week unresolved industrial action by the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG).

The outcome of the strike will be determined at a Council meeting scheduled for today.

A meeting with the Education Minister, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, on Wednesday, ended without a clear roadmap on the way forward. However, both parties noted that the meeting was fruitful, with significant progress made.

In an interview with Starr News, the President of NUGS, Daniel Oppong Kyeremeh, appealed to the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission to adjust the calendar.

“We are proposing an adjustment of the calendar, not a complete reset. We have already started the academic calendar and reached a point where some students are preparing for exams. At this moment, it would be very difficult to start exams immediately upon returning to school. There should be an opportunity to accommodate the material lost over these three to four weeks. We are asking for an adjustment to the academic calendar. Resetting everything would disrupt the entire calendar.

He added: “We need to make adjustments to accommodate the issues that have arisen. For instance, our Level 400 or 300 students on their out-programme who rented apartments for their placements have wasted their rent. They are now wondering what to do next. If we don’t review the academic calendar, it will affect these students who fund their rented places out of their own pockets. Without an adjustment, the itinerary of these students will be severely impacted.”