Kumasi, Oct 3, GNA - Teachers in the Kumasi Metropolitan Area, on Monday began a strike action to back their demands for improved service conditions.

Mr. Twumasi Amponsah, Kumasi Metropolitan Director of Education, who spoke to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in a telephone interview on Monday, could however not tell when the strike would end. He said the teachers, numbering 6,000 clad in red bands, assembled peacefully at the Jackson's Park at about 9.30 AM.

The Metropolitan Director of Education said while waiting at the Jackson's Park, leaders of the striking teachers left for the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), to present a memorandum to the Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE).

According to Mr. Amponsah, on their return to Jackson's park, the leaders told the teachers that they had presented the memorandum and asked the teachers to leave.

He said that strangely the leaders did not address the teachers neither did they make any speeches but asked them to reconvene next Thursday to assess the situation.

When the GNA later contacted Mr. Johnson K. Adu, Metropolitan Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), he confirmed the strike action but denied that GNAT instigated it.