Head of Public Relations at the Ghana Education Service (GES), Daniel Fenyi, has revealed that they have set next Monday, October 5, as the deadline to resolve the ongoing payment dispute affecting the 3 striking teacher unions.
According to the GES, the deadline is for submitting the documents needed to resolve the ongoing payment dispute affecting teachers.
Daniel Fenyi stressed that the Service is working with the Controller and Accountant General’s Department to address the issue and ensure teachers receive their money.
He argued that the focus now must be resolving the striking teachers’ concerns rather than assigning blame.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Monday, Mr Fenyi stated, “I would very much hesitate to start blame games. Teachers need their money.”
“The Minister met them today and gave them all the assurances. The Minister has also mentioned that in case of the insistence on some input forms and documentation, GES should be able to provide”.
He revealed that the documentation includes input forms, promotion letters and other necessary documents, adding that the figures being discussed cover both teaching and non-teaching staff.
“For the teaching staff, we have about 59 to 60,000 of them,” he said.
He further disclosed that the GES is working to meet the revised deadline. “I can confirm to you from the GES headquarters that, as we speak, there are even some people still at the headquarters working around the clock”, he stated.
“The 4 p.m. deadline is for next week Monday. Next week Monday,” he clarified.
“In fact, we have met a couple of deadlines. We have worked under pressure.”
“Trust us that we will work around the clock to make sure that their desires are really met, so that they can return to the classroom,” he said.
Mr Fenyi stressed that the GES do not want the current situation to disrupt the academic calendar.
“We have stabilised the calendar,” he added.
Meanwhile, the three striking teacher unions made up of National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and the Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG) have rejected calls to return to the classroom.
According to the striking teacher unions insist they will only return to the classroom unless the government takes concrete steps to address their demands.
Head of Salaries, Grievances and Negotiations at GNAT, Isaac Baah, disclosed that teachers would remain at home until they saw evidence that the government had resolved their concerns.
Isaac Baah disclosed that the unions expect the outstanding salaries and arrears to reflect on teachers’ payslips and be credited to their accounts before they would consider returning to school.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Head of Salaries, Grievances and Negotiations at GNAT, Isaac Baah stated, “Indeed, we met the minister and his team this afternoon with regard to our strike action. It has been the old story of promises upon promises”.
“At the moment, we are not taking promises. We want action.”
“Our teachers must continue to stay home until we see something concrete,” he said.
“Until we see the salary and the arrears reflecting on our payslips and credited to our accounts, until we see that, we are not going back to school,” Baah said.
“We’ll continue to stay home until all our issues are addressed and resolved,” he said.
Meanwhile, Haruna Iddrisu, the Education Minister, has begged striking teacher unions to return to the classroom as government engages their leadership to address their concerns.
According to Haruna Iddrisu, the striking teacher unions must go back to the classrooms to protect the school calendar, which has only recently returned to the September-to-July cycle.
He urged the teacher unions to return to the classroom as he engages their leadership alongside the Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD), the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) and the Ghana Education Service (GES).
Haruna Iddrisu stated, “I extend a warm welcome to the leadership of our various teacher unions who have publicly and justifiably declared a strike action”.
“But to use this opportunity as their employer to persuade them to keep the academic calendar smooth sailing and smooth running whilst we look into the merits of their legitimate issues and concerns,” he added.
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