Students in all the 46 Colleges of Education in the country have been asked to go home following a directive from the National Council for Tertiary Education (NTCE) to all the Principals of the colleges to indefinitely close down the schools.

The directive followed a protracted strike action by the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) which entered its 21st day Friday, November 30.

CETAG has been on strike over unpaid Market Premium and Book and Research allowance which are due them following the elevation of teacher training colleges to a tertiary status.

There has since been a standoff between the government and CETAG on the way forward.

An intervention by the National Labour Commission could not resolve their differences.

Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Education, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, who had earlier described CETAG as being “unreasonable” told the media Friday the directive has become necessary because CETAG has taken an entrenched position.

“CETAG is clearly not ready to come to a compromise so the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) has directed the principals of the Colleges of Education to release students to go home while negotiations continue”, he said in a media interview.

Consequently, some of the colleges issued notices asking students to leave the campuses Saturday morning.

One notice sighted by 3news.com Friday reads, “INFORMATION REACHING THE COLLEGE FROM THE HONOURABLE MINISTER FOR EDUCATION THROUGH THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY FOR NTCE, HAS DIRECTED PRINCIPALS TO RELEASE TO GO HOME TOMORROW SATURDAY, 1ST DECEMBER, 2018, UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE”

“BY THIS DIRECTIVE,ALL STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO LEAVE THE COLLEGE TOMORROW MORNING. WE WISH YOU ALL SAFE JOURNEY. (PRINCIPAL)” it continued.