Public basic schools across the Ashanti Region have ground to a halt following a nationwide strike declared by major teacher unions over unfulfilled conditions of service and unpaid allowances.
Classrooms at several institutions, including Bantama Presby KG, Primary, and JHS; Bantama Methodist School; Bantama St. Anthony R/C Primary and JHS; K.O Methodist Primary A and B; Asem Cluster of School; and St Cyprins Anglican Primary A and B and JHS A, remained locked and deserted on Tuesday, with neither teachers nor students on campus.
The industrial action, launched on 25 September 2026, was jointly called by the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRE-TAG).
According to union leaders, approximately 80,000 members passed their professional promotion examinations, but only about 6,000 have been placed on their corresponding salary scales.
The unions state that the remaining educators continue to receive their old salaries, with no back pay or arrears disbursed since January 2026.
Additionally, teachers posted to designated deprived areas have yet to receive 20 percent incentive allowance.
Now in its second week, the strike has severely disrupted academic schedules, hitting final-year public school students particularly hard as they prepare for examinations.
To prevent falling behind, several pupils have resorted to private tuition and community-run extra classes, imposing an unexpected financial burden on parents.
“The strike has affected us in many ways,” said a Form 1 student attending private lessons in Kumasi, adding, “What we are supposed to be learning right now, we can’t. Our future depends on this.”
Form 3 students expressed frustration over the challenge of self-directed study without professional guidance.
“We try to learn on our own, but it is difficult to grasp the material without a teacher’s help,” a final-year student said, highlighting, “My parents had to hire a private tutor for me so I can keep up.”
Students have appealed directly to the government to address the unions’ grievances promptly so that normal academic activities can resume.
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