Students at Ghana’s Colleges of Education are expressing increasing concern over the financial and emotional toll of the ongoing strike by the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG).
The strike, which began on June 14, 2024, has been driven by the government’s failure to implement agreed-upon arbitral awards and fulfil other contractual conditions for CETAG members.
Despite the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) having written to the Controller and Accountant General Department (CAGD) to withhold the July remuneration of members of CETAG, the teaching staff of the 46 colleges of education have still not returned to their lecturer halls.
Coalition of Concerned Teacher Trainees – Ghana has appealed to the teaching staff of all Colleges of Education Teachers to call off their industrial strike action, explaining that the strike had halted all academic activities, bringing unprecedented crises to many students.
Adding to the growing concerns, Mr. Joshua Okoso, a Level 400 student at Mount Mary College of Education (MOMACO) in the Yilo Krobo Municipal of the Eastern Region, described the significant hardships faced by students.
“Many have travelled from distant regions to attend their colleges and have rented accommodation in anticipation of regular classes. However, with the strike, leaving campuses empty, students continue to pay rent and utility bills without any academic activities.”
He asserted that “the impact on education is profound. The ongoing strike has disrupted teaching and learning processes, potentially extending the standard four-year degree program to five years.”
This delay not only incurs additional costs for students but also affects their academic progress and graduation timelines.
Mr Okoso pointed out that the uncertainty surrounding the return of their teachers has confused their studies and future exams.
The situation he said will also delay their graduation, citing the Education Act as stating that, if teachers strike for more than 21 days, they will not be able to write their examinations, which also means that they will not be able to graduate this year.
The nearly three-month-old strike has left campuses across Ghana deserted, with students and faculty alike caught in the middle of a protracted labor dispute.
