Regional News of Monday, 25 September 2006

Source: GNA

Teachers in basic schools in New Juaben are on strike

Koforidua, Sept 25, GNA- Basic schoolteachers in public schools in New Juaben Municipality have refused to teach since the re-opening about a week ago.

This came to light in a survey conducted by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Monday when some of the schools visited in Koforidua were found to be closed while in some only the head teachers were at post and a few teachers who were around were not teaching.

Both the teachers and the heads were reluctant to give reasons why teaching was not going on.

An official of the Inspectorate Division of the Municipal office of Ghana Education Service (GES) who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed that the teachers had been on strike since the day of re-opening of schools.

He said when the Municipal Chief Executive and officials of the GES visited the schools in the municipality to welcome the class one pupils to school last week, some of the schools were found closed.

Based on that, the Municipal Director requested that the Inspectorate Division should go round and prepare a report on the situation that had been done.

He said he was informed that the GNAT officials would be meeting the teachers in the municipality on Friday to resolve the issue while the Municipal Education Office of GES would also be meeting the teachers the following Monday.

When the Eastern Regional Chairman of GNAT, Mr Solomons Gyaba-Mensah, was contacted he insisted that GNAT had not officially declared any strike action in the region.