The Ghana Education Service (GES) has asked heads of public schools not to close down their institutions despite the ongoing teachers’ strike.

The directive was contained in a statement signed by the Head of Public Relations of GES, Cassandra Twum Ampofo, on Wednesday, March 20, 2024.

The GES’ instruction comes after three teacher unions declared an industrial strike.

The unions: the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers Ghana (CCT-GH) declared the strike on Wednesday, March 20, 2024.

The teachers attributed their actions to the failure of the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service (GES) to better their conditions of service.

Issues raised by the teachers were the absence of an appropriate Scheme of Service and a Collective Agreement, rampant changes in the school calendar without recourse to the teachers, inefficient distribution of laptops, and the blockage of some teachers’ salaries by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).

Meanwhile, the GES, through the statement, further directed all heads of Kindergartens, Primary, Junior and Secondary schools to ensure the safety and well-being of all students in schools, while urging parents to be calm.