Minority Caucus Links Teachers' Strike To 2026 BECE and WASSCE Mass Failure, Blasts Government

The Minority Caucus in Parliament has condemned government over the indefinite strike declared by pre-tertiary teacher unions, linking the industrial action to the mass failure recorded in the 2026 BECE and WASSCE.

In a press statement dated September 25, 2026, signed by Deputy Ranking Member of the Committee on Employment, Labour Relations and Pensions, Hon. Frank Asiedu Bekoe, MP for Suhum, the Caucus said it has taken note of the press release by GNAT, NAGRAT and PRETAG declaring an indefinite strike.

According to the Minority, the three grievances at the heart of the strike are:

1. The undue delay in negotiating a new Collective Agreement;

2. The failure to place promoted teachers on their new salary scales after passing aptitude tests; and

3. The disregard for the Deprived Area Allowance as captured in Section 17(2) of the 2024 Collective Agreement and as directed by President John Dramani Mahama.

The Caucus said these are not new demands but agreed conditions of service that government, through the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) and the Controller and Accountant-General's Department (CAGD), has refused to implement.

"These are not new demands. They are agreed conditions of service that Government, through the FWSC and CAGD, has simply refused to implement. This lukewarm attitude, as described by the Unions, is an affront to labour rights and a violation of the NLC ruling of 2024," the statement said.

The Minority further said the strike cannot be separated from the historic poor performance of students in the 2026 BECE.

"More grievous is its direct consequence on learning outcomes. In proper context, we cannot divorce this looming strike from the massive and historic failure recorded in the 2026 BECE. It reveals that when you frustrate the teacher, you fail the child."

"A demotivated teacher cannot produce an excellent student. The failure in BECE implies a failure of Government to motivate the very people who shape their future and not merely a failure of our children," it added.

Taking a swipe at government, the Caucus stated: "Mr. President, Ghanaians did not vote for you because of Ghana Jollof News. Ghanaians voted for you because you promised the teachers better conditions of service within your overly heralded 24-Hour Economy Policy."