The Ghana Education Service (GES) is appealing for calm among striking teachers in the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality of the Western Region following the alleged assault of some teachers by military personnel.
The Service says investigations into the incident will commence immediately and has assured the public that any military officer found culpable will face the appropriate sanctions.
Public Relations Officer of the GES, Daniel Fenyi, disclosed this in a telephone interview with 3news’ Labour Affairs Correspondent in Accra on May 29.
Currently, members of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers within the Tarkwa Nsuaem enclave have completely withdrawn their services.
The assaulted teachers say they are deeply disappointed by what they describe as the silence and slow response from authorities following the incident.
National executives of the teacher unions have also directed their regional branches to escalate the matter in a bid to compel government intervention.
Sources within the municipality reveal that both the District and Regional Directors of Education have separately engaged the aggrieved teachers in an attempt to calm tensions. However, the teachers remain resolute and appear determined to intensify their industrial action despite the engagements.
Speaking in the interview, the PRO of the GES Daniel Fenyi stressed that the Ghana Education Service strongly condemns the alleged assault on the teachers.
“Nobody has the right to physically assault or even verbally assault our teachers, and so Management completely condemns the assault,” he stated.
Mr. Fenyi further appealed to the striking teachers to reconsider their decision and return to the classrooms in the interest of students and academic stability.
“It is peace that we would continue to urge while investigations are done and the culprits are brought to book,” he added.
However, the response from the GES has drawn criticism from the President of NAGRAT, Jacob Anaba, who argues that the Service has been too passive and slow in responding to the concerns of the assaulted teachers.
“We have not heard from the Director-General. If it had been a student who was assaulted like this, the whole country would have woken up. Our employer is not talking, and government is also not talking,” Mr. Anaba lamented.
He further warned that the national leadership of the three pre-tertiary teacher unions may join the strike if swift action is not taken.
“The three pre-tertiary unions will take a decision. It is unfair. We have been battling with students who assault us, and now the military. Who is for us then? We are not safe in the school environment again,” he said.
The situation continues to raise concerns about safety within Ghana’s educational institutions, as stakeholders call for swift intervention to restore calm and confidence among teachers in the municipality.
By Daniel Opoku
