Teachers in the Madina-Adentan-Abokobi enclave have resumed classes after a two-day strike triggered by the assault of a colleague at Bethel Presbyterian Junior High School.
The strike was called off following the arrest of one suspect, compensation paid to the victim, and security assurances from police and municipal authorities.
On Tuesday, April 28, the Municipal Chief Executive, William Allotey, visited Bethel Presbyterian JHS and handed Mohammed Abdela about GHS8,000 along with other items to cover his hospital expenses.
The teacher has since resumed teaching. He is recovering, with no fractures, though his face still carries the memory of blows.
Police have arrested one suspect, while a second suspect described by union officials as “the rasta boy who was more violent” remains on the run.
Approximately eight accomplices are also yet to be identified. Additionally, police now patrol hotspots in plainclothes, 24 hours a day. The GNAT Chairman promised: “We combine with the police to protect the teachers. Every day, the police come around to solve our illness.”
The crisis began on April 8 at Bethel Presbyterian Junior High School. A former student, Aaron Mensah, was found loitering inside a classroom during a mock examination, going through pupils’ bags.
The invigilating teacher, Mohammed Abdulla, confronted him and ordered him to leave. Mensah refused at first, claiming he was waiting for a friend. He eventually left but not before threatening to return. He kept that promise. Mensah came back with a group of people on motorbikes and they beat the teacher.
The matter was reported to the police, but no immediate arrests were made. That inaction prompted the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) to declare a strike, warning that its members would refuse to return to classrooms until action was taken.
That single act of violence did not end in the classroom. It rippled through an entire municipality, paralyzed schools for two days, forced the government to pay compensation, and pushed a teachers’ union to draw a line in the sand.
This was not an isolated event. Within two months, two teachers were beaten at West Africa Senior High School. Same story. Different location. Same silence.
Speaking to TV3, the Chairman of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Christian Yaw Adinkrah, affirmed that the union is no longer accepting silence.
He stated that GNAT’s argument rests on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, specifically SDG 4, which promises quality education for all.
“We want to teach, but in an environment that we feel is safe for us,” he said.
He added: “The survivability of the teacher is the survivability of education. Anybody that attacks a teacher means that person is not ready to achieve that goal. Gone are the days when communities were solidarity nets for teachers.
Now there are places teachers don’t want to accept postings to. Government will have to beg us to appeal to our members to go there.”
He revealed that the assaulted teacher may be transferred to another school because of the trauma the incident has caused him.
He also warned: “If we realize the welfare of our teacher’s health or safety is violated, we will recall the teacher from those classrooms. Any attack on the teacher or violation of the right of the teacher, we will not accept it. We will resist it.”
By Kuzagbe Efua Bernice
