The National Council of Parent-Teacher Associations (NC-PTAs) - Ghana has expressed solidarity with striking pre-tertiary teacher unions and urged parents to keep their children at home until teachers return to the classrooms.

In a solidarity statement issued on Wednesday, September 30, the NC-PTAs said the teachers’ demands were legitimate and justified.

It said the ongoing strike was linked to delayed promotions, unpaid arrears, the implementation of revised collective agreements and the 20% deprived area allowance.

‘A deep credibility deficit’

The NC-PTAs said years of unfulfilled promises and abandoned memoranda of understanding had created what it described as a “deep credibility deficit” between teachers and government.

“Despite assurances from government, there is a deep credibility deficit. Years of unfulfilled promises and abandoned MOUs have left teachers with no option but to strike for their bread and butter issues,” the statement said.

It described teachers as a national asset whose welfare should be protected.

“The Ghanaian teacher is a national asset we must protect, not a cost on the national purse. Investment in teacher welfare is not expenditure - it is national security and future prosperity,” it said.

Parents urged to keep children at home

The NC-PTAs said parents had made significant financial sacrifices to prepare their children for the new school term, including spending on uniforms, sandals, books, provisions and transport.

It said the strike had left these investments unused, while BECE and WASSCE candidates who had been prepared through extra classes were also affected.

“Every day without a teacher is a loss to the poor parent who spent his last cedi to prepare his child for school,” the statement said.

“This is not just a teacher crisis; it is a parental crisis, a family crisis.”

The council also warned about the situation in schools where classrooms were empty and compounds were unsupervised.

“Classrooms are empty, compounds unsupervised. ‘When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers’ - the grass is our child,” it said.

For safety and to reduce costs, the NC-PTAs urged parents to keep their children at home until teachers return.

“An empty school without a teacher is a risk, not a school,” it said.

Call for presidential intervention

The NC-PTAs appealed to President John Dramani Mahama to personally intervene and direct the relevant government institutions to resolve the dispute.

It specifically called on the Ministers of Finance, Education and Labour, Fair Wages, the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) and the Ghana Education Service (GES) to work towards an immediate resolution.

The council also called on politicians, traditional rulers, religious leaders and other influential personalities to support efforts to resolve the dispute.

“Let us urge government to go the extra mile and do the needful for them. Let us bury our political differences,” it said.

The statement was signed by Gapson Kofi Raphael, General Secretary of the NC-PTAs - Ghana.

“The hand that holds chalk, holds our future,” the statement concluded.

“Treat the teacher well, and the teacher will treat our child's future well.

“No Teacher, No School. No School, No Future.”