The Tertiary Education Institutions Network (TEIN) Presidents across the 46 Colleges of Education have issued a press release letter on the impact of the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) strike on the teacher trainees in Ghana.
The released letter has the details below:
‘’Tertiary is the fortress of knowledge for building future leaders. Regrettably, public colleges in Ghana are facing a lot of challenges. One of such challenges is the incessant strike embarked upon by the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG)
Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) on Friday, 14th June, 2024, declared an indefinite strike over the government’s delay in implementing the National Labour Commission’s (NLC) Arbitral Award Orders and negotiated service conditions.
Academic activities across all the forty-six colleges of education have come to a halt as the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) has defied directives by the Fair Wages and Salary Commission (FWSC) to call off its strike and resume work.
This strike has led to a complete cessation of academic and administrative functions, leaving the future of the academic calendar uncertain.
The negative impacts of the strike on students, institutions and the academic calendar include but not limited to;
One of the major negative impacts of the CETAG strike is the accommodation issues of the Level 400 teacher trainees. As we all know the policy the Government in power formulated which is the IN-IN-IN-OUT Policy where trainees of first to the third year would be accommodated in school campuses and later rent when they get to their final year.
Level 400 trainees are required to rent outside campus and go for lectures on the daily basis as day students. The hustle these trainees went through just to secure a room or an apartment for just three or four months is unbearable.
For all that they know is that the four months agreement would end for them to leave their various premise. Here lies the case that CETAG had declared an indefinite strike; so to when lecturers would be back to class, no one knows and we all do not know if the academic calendar would be rescheduled or not.
The fate of the Level 400 trainees can only be determined when CETAG calls off the strike only when the Government gives them a listening ear.
Another negative effect of this indefinite strike by CETAG is the incapability of teachers to give out course outlines to student teachers. Course outline is meant to outline or list the topics that would be treated during the semester to enable both the Tutors and students to go by the curriculum of the Affiliate Universities.
We fervently believe that if the course outlines were to be given, trainees would at least know the exact topics to study for the semester.
Due to this strike, students were unlucky to have most of the lecturers not reporting to campus to give out their course outlines to them, course materials were also not given out before the teachers embarked on the strike.
For all we know these course materials could have been of help to the ordinary student as teachers are absent from school. The question still remains that, until when will the teachers be back to class for serious academic work to begin? But until then, trainees will just have to be on campus doing nothing ? And as we speak, we all know that most trainees fend for themselves and would not be on campus by now.
The fate of the student teachers still remains untouched as the Government is not willing and ready to go by the agreement made with CETAG in the previous years. To further add to the negative impacts of the CETAG Strike; is the submission of project work of the Level 400 trainees which was not concluded before the strike came in to put this activity to a halt. As part of Supported Teaching in Schools (STS), every level 400 student has been given a project work which must be submitted following semester for scores.
This is the case this activity was not able to be held due to the strike Action. This exercise would also help lecturers in building the portfolios of the student teachers.
Now, we do not know when teachers would be paid for CETAG to call of the strike for lecturers to continue the semester. As to whether the academic calendar would be changed or not, we are not in rightful position to elaborate on it. This is not only the problem the strike has created but also a halt on The On Campus Teaching Practice (OCTP) in some Colleges of Education.
The ongoing strike has also disrupt the academic programs on various campuses, learning abilities of students whiles some have lose preparedness and readiness to learn at the time of the strike; hence their educational attainment have been adversely affected.
Once there is strike action, it gives the room for calendar adjustment which will inevitably affects the smooth running of educational program in the various Colleges.
Indeed, the strike has caused and will cause most academic programs and activities to slow down. And the public question still remains that, until when will teachers be respected in this country? And until when will our dear tutors’ words and plea be heard by the government? Most importantly, the new four year bachelor of education program entails a tutor to students activities, so if the tutors are not with the students,It will be very difficult for them to understand the methodologies in use. We therefore, plead that the government to provide their demands for them so that teaching and learning can be restored.
Finally, We, Students of the education fraternity, are outraged and saddened by the brutal murder of our colleague, Hannah Frimpomaa, a student of Atebubu College of Education, who was tragically taken from us in Techiman on June 19th, 2024. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family, friends, and the entire Atebubu College community. May her memory be a blessing and may justice be served. We condemn this senseless act of violence and stand together against such atrocities.
Thank you’’
CONVENERS; Manu Clinton ( 0256960812 ) Southern Sector
Karen Naa Oyoe Quarte(0593728033 Middle belt
Atiraag Michael ( 0554111080) Northern sector
Ce; To all media houses
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