Dr. Mba Atinga
The Rector of the Bolgatanga Polytechnic, Dr. Mba Atinga, is worried about the impact the indefinite strike action embarked upon by members of the Polytechnic Teachers Association of Ghana (POTAG), could have on the students and the academic calendar of the polytechnics.
According to him, when the teachers returned from the strike, they would have to do a revision of all that was taught before the strike, and were most likely to rush the students in order to cover the course outline before vacation in June 2012, complaining that the vacation date might have to be extended.
POTAG members across the country last week declared an indefinite strike action, calling for their proper placement onto the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS).
Dr Atinga agrees with students and parents that the strike would put pressure on students when the teachers resumed work, adding that it would have a negative impact on the academic calendar of the polytechnics.
When DAILY GUIDE visited the Bolgatanga Polytechnic, many of the students who lived on campus had left for their homes, leaving the polytechnic virtually empty. Students who did not reside on campus had stopped going to the school. Just a handful of students were seen trying to learn on their own, while others were having fun, listening and singing along to music from their ghetto blasters.
Some students who spoke to DAILY GUIDE appealed to government and all who had roles to play for the return of the POTAG members, to do everything possible to ensure the immediate return of the polytechnic teachers.
Some final year students said their project work supervisors had refused to attend to them, making the project work difficult and putting them in a fix.
It is very likely that POTAG members would not listen to pleas from their students or parents, and would only return after their demands had been meet, considering the comments they had been making on some local radio stations.
The Organizing Secretary of POTAG, Daniel Ayong, hinted that members were disappointed with the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission and other stakeholders, saying that they had taken members of POTAG for granted for over two years.
He agreed that the academic calendar of the polytechnic would be affected due to the strike, but insisted that he and other members of POTAG also loved their students but had to fight for what was due them.
UTAG Strike
In a related development, members of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) have also declared an indefinite strike action from Friday.
According to the President of UTAG, Dr Anthony Simon, the delay in the payment of Single Spine Salary arrears owed some senior academics in public universities, and the inability of government to meet their deadlines left them with no choice but to embark on the indefinite strike.
“We have done this because they [government] have arrears to be paid. On 29 February we had a meeting at Legon and we noted with dismay the failure of government to meet some deadlines we set,” Dr. Simon told XYZ Radio.
From Ebo Bruce-Quansah, Bolgatanga
