Deputy Minister of Education Dr Clement Apaak said on Eyewitness News Thursday that the government would continue to plead with teachers who have been on strike for about two weeks, urging them to return to classrooms while negotiations over their concerns proceed.
Apaak stressed that the government was not taking an antagonistic stance towards the teachers and acknowledged the legitimate issues that have sparked the strike. "It’s not a crime to plead. So as long as they are not in the classroom, we will continue to plead with them," he said.
The strike, which has kept pupils at home, centers on three key issues: delays in the payment of promotion-related benefits, the proposed deprived rural‑area allowance and the renewal of the teachers’ collective agreement. "We are not antagonistic. We are not challenging their demands. We have not said anywhere that they are not justified," Apaak added.
He said the government was particularly concerned about the disruption to teaching and learning and would keep working to resolve the outstanding issues while urging teachers to resume teaching. "We will continue to supplicate. We are lying down prostrate. We are on our knees pleading with our teachers to come back to the classroom whilst we address their legitimate concerns," he said.
While refusing to disclose specific sticking points in the talks, Apaak said it would be inappropriate to discuss details publicly while negotiations were still underway. He did, however, note that the government expected progress on the issues, including the processing of promotion-related payments for affected teachers.
