Tema, June 9, GNA - The Tema Mantse, Nii Adjei Kraku II, has appealed to the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) to drop their entrenched positions for teachers to go back to the classroom. He said their entrenched position was detrimental to the future academic performance of students.

"The education of the child could be destroyed due to this strike and when the harm is already than there can be nothing to replace what the child has lost," he added. The Chief made the appeal on Wednesday, when he met the Tema Municipal Director of Education, Mrs Lucy Kwapong to discuss the impact of the strike and how best he could help. He expressed concern about the effect of the strike on students, especially those about to write their senior secondary school final examination.

Nii Kraku called on the Government to find a lasting solution to the problem, saying that, "As a nation, we cannot develop without education". He stressed the need to ensure that teachers were satisfied to enable then to give children the best education.

Mrs Kwapong admitted that some of the grievances of NAGRAT were genuine but described the whole issue as dicey explaining that even though some teachers in the basic level also belong to NAGRAT they were in the classroom teaching. She described the 50,000 cedis allowance given to Headmasters in secondary schools as unfair, considering the fact that he was responsible for the well being of every child in the school.

The Municipal Director of Education stated that most of the teachers at Tema were at post with some teaching after normal classes explaining that it was the usual extra classes agreed on by Parent Teacher Associations (PTA).

An Educationist and Chairman of the District Education Planning Team, Mr Nathaniel Nortey, also appealed to the teachers to consider the fate of the final year students and return to the classroom, while negotiations went on. He noted that parents and guardians had invested in the education of the children and wards and stated that any interference through strike actions would be a great loss to them. "It is true that you have your grievances, which you might fight for, but make sure nobody suffers as a result of your actions", he stressed.

Members of NAGRAT have been on strike for over a month now to back their demands for improved conditions of services.