CETAG & CENTSAG Strike at Colleges of Education: TTAG’s Expert Opinion
Teacher Trainees’ Association of Ghana (TTAG) offers expert opinion on strike actions performed by Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) and Colleges of Education Non Teaching Staff Association of Ghana (CENTSAG) in all 46 Accredited Public Colleges of Education.
The National President of TTAG, Johnathan Dzunu, and the Secretary, Musah Sumalia, issued a statement in which they stated that the Association had received notices of the strike by CETAG and CENTSAG, effective November 14, 2022, with grave worries.
The Association’s leadership stated that trainees continue to bear the brunt of these negative effects and associated difficulties.
The leadership expressed its displeasure with the Government and its stakeholders about the suspension of academic work and other services due to the strike, including the production of meals for trainees, after carefully weighing the two sides of the issue.
Read also: Teacher Unions call of strike
The Association defended its position by stating that it is a terrible development to see how quickly this uproar is spreading and turning into a persistent ailment for years.
“As student teachers, we believe the ripple effect of the industrial action has dire consequence on us now and the future of our country.”
Because of this threat—the service providers’ strikes—the teacher training fraternity has experienced multiple setbacks.
According to TTAG, given the present events, it is not possible to eliminate the idea that trainees may be vulnerable to unpleasant memories because:
i. Continuing students have advanced with the semester’s academic work and are on the verge of sitting for their exams.
ii. The shift/track system, which has been exposed as a result of insufficient infrastructure in colleges and has forced some year groups to stay home while others are engaged for a while, will not provide any beneficial outcomes: the level 300s in recent months provide prima facie evidence of this.
iii. The health of the students cannot be understated in this discussion on the caliber of food that trainees will consume, and in the worst-case scenario where colleges are located on the outskirts of towns or cities, security issues enter the picture.
The TTAG wishes to state the following in the spirit of genuine service to the average trainee and the shared pursuit of high-quality, forward-thinking teacher education in our nation:
See also: I Don’t Support The Strike – Governance Lecturer
- The actors for and on behalf of government should, as a matter of urgency, attend to the calls of CETAG and CENTSAG.
- “We take due cognizance of the concerns of CETAG and CENTSAG but to aid in solving same, we ask that, the leadership of the two striking bodies puts the interest and welfare of the student teachers at the centre of every discussion.”
- “We understand Fair Wages and Salaries Commission has a pivotal role in finding resolutions and bringing sanity to this issue hence we humbly appeal that measures are expedited with effect.”
- “We equally call on GTEC and PRINCOF to pitch in to help resolve this impasse.”
TTAG cautions all of its trainee members to maintain their resolve and keep themselves safe while the leadership employs all available resources to help protect the membership’s interests.
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