Students plead with polytechnic teachers to call off strike
The one-month nationwide strike action by the Polytechnic Teachers Association of Ghana (POTAG) has brought academic activities at the various polytechnics to a halt.
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The students have, therefore, appealed to members of POTAG to reconsider their decision and return to the classroom while they continue to dialogue with the government.
The strike is due to the association’s book and research allowances, and it has indicated that its members will not return to the lecture halls until all arrears of the said allowances are paid them by the government.
Daily Graphic’s visit
During a visit by the Daily Graphic to the campus of the Accra Polytechnic on Wednesday, the usual busy activities on campus were absent, as many of the students and lecturers were not around.
The few who were spotted had either gathered in groups under trees, interacting with one another or were engaged in either private or group studies.
Affected students
Some students who spoke to the Daily Graphic expressed disappointment over the current situation, and appealed to the government to address the demands of the lecturers so that academic activities on the various polytechnic campuses across the country could resume.
According to them, students are not supposed to suffer the consequences of a matter between an employer and the employee, since they have done nothing wrong.
They indicated that the strike action had affected their academic calendar and virtually every activity on campus, including examinations which were scheduled to commence on Monday, June 9, but had been postponed until further notice.
SRC president
The President of the Students’ Representative Council (SRC), Mr Daniel Osei Owusu, said the students’ leaders would be petitioning the Chief Imam and other states authorities to help address the issue.
He indicated that much as the students had no interest to take sides with any of the two parties, they were not supposed to be punished, since they were “innocent”.
“If all avenues are explored and they still insist on not coming back, we will march to the Ministry of Education and attend our lectures there,” he threatened.
Coalition of TEIN
Meanwhile, 10 presidents who constitute the Coalition of Polytechnic Tertiary Education Institutions Network (TEIN) have issued a statement on the impasse.
The statement, signed by members of the coalition, contended that though POTAG saw the current action as the best alternative to drive home their demand, “we feel it is extremely important for our lecturers to equally consider the very serious consequences and eventual disruption of the polytechnic calendar as a result of their continuous stay out of the lecture halls.”
They said students were aware of the challenges confronting members of POTAG in the performance of their duties as lecturers and appreciated the commitment and dedication with which they had executed their duties in the face of all those challenges.
“However, having followed recent developments and the debate on this issue, we strongly believe that POTAG and the government should find an amicable solution to the problem and put the matter to rest.”
National challenge
“We members of the coalition see the current impasse as a national challenge, and, therefore, call on all well-meaning Ghanaians to join us in our appeal to our lecturers to soften their stance and return to the lecture halls while negotiations still continue.”
The statement also urged the government to speed up discussions with POTAG, so that their concerns could be addressed in the best interest of polytechnic education in Ghana.
It also entreated all polytechnic students to be circumspect in wading into the current impasse between POTAG and the government, and craved the indulgence of any group of students planning to stage public protests supporting one side against the other to reconsider their actions in order not to further compound the problem.
In separate telephone interviews with members of the coalition, they indicated that most of the polytechnics had closed down, with only a few third-year students on campus trying to finish their project work.