Teacher group rescinds decision to strike
The National Council of Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG), has rescinded its decision to embark on a strike following assurances from the Government that the College of Education Bill would be passed into law when Parliament resumes sitting next week.
Reverend Father Francis Kusi-Ababio, Chairman of the Council, said Mr Mahama Ayariga, Deputy Minister of Education in-charge of Tertiary Education, at a meeting with the leadership and other stakeholders last Wednesday January 18, gave the assurance of efforts being made to address the issue.
“He even showed us the Bills for Second Reading in Parliament on resumption including the Colleges of Education Bill,” Rev Kusi-Ababio told the Ghana News Agency in a telephone interview in Accra on Friday.
He said the leadership of CETAG had communicated verbally and in writing to its members to exerise patience and wait for sometime to see what would happen to the bill.
Rev Kusi-Ababio on behalf of CETAG addressing a press conference in Accra on January 11, threatened to embark on a strike if Government failed to ensure the swift passage of the Colleges of Education Bill by Friday, January 20.
“If pragmatic actions are not taken to pass the bill, we would not be in a position to offer our services, notice of our intentions has been communicated to the various stakeholders,“ he added at the press conference.
Rev Kusi-Ababio noted that the call on its members to rescind their decision “Was met with mixed reactions, but we have impressed upon them to be patient”.
The Council registered its displeasure of government’s deliberate delay in the passage of the bill to give Colleges of Education the legal framework to operate as full tertiary institutions.
It said: “Our members are highly displeased because of the anxiety, frustration and low morale currently prevailing in the working atmosphere in the Colleges of Education and it can have negative implications on educational development in the country.”
He said though Government had promised to pass the bill before the end of 2011, nothing was done to fulfil the pledge and Council had still not received any indication that the bill would be passed soon.
The bill was laid before Parliament about two years ago, in accordance with the Education Act of 2008 (Act 778), which provided the mandate for the 38 Public Teacher Training Colleges in the country to be upgraded to tertiary status and offer diploma certificates.
Source: GNA