Teacher unions’ strike leads to school closures in parts of Kumasi

Pre-tertiary schools in some areas of the Ashanti Regional capital are beginning to close down as a result of the ongoing strike by teacher unions, which has disrupted academic activities.

Despite progress in negotiations between the teacher unions and the National Labour Commission (NLC), the unions have maintained their nationwide strike, worsening the academic challenges faced by students in the region.

Checks by Asaase News at several basic schools in the Nhyiaeso Constituency have revealed a complete halt in academic work, with empty classrooms overrun by cobwebs and dust, highlighting the impact of the strike. Final-year students preparing for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) expressed concern over the situation as the exam approaches.

“We have not covered many topics in our elective subjects like Mathematics, Science, and English, and as students, we have only three months to prepare for the BECE,” one student said. “We have a few volunteer teachers who are taking us through our mock exams, but we are pleading with the teachers to return to work to complete the syllabus.”

Another student said, “Some of us are yet to finish our syllabus, and this action is affecting our studies. I just pray that the teachers rescind their decision and return to the classroom.”

The situation was similar at the State Experimental Basic School, where students used the time to clean up the school premises. The closure of these schools contradicts an earlier directive from the Ghana Education Service (GES) to keep them running.

“It is obvious that we are fighting for teachers,” one anonymous teacher told Asaase News. “Our working conditions are poor, and for me, the shutdown is not affecting anybody. After today’s meeting, we are hoping to return to work in the coming days.”

The strike has disrupted the education of many students and raised concerns about the timely completion of the academic year.