Peter Nortsu-Kote, the Ranking Member of the Education Committee and a Member of Parliament of Akatsi North Constituency in the Volta Region, has expressed the committee’s profound loss of moral courage to engage with unions.
He stated that the unions have completely lost trust in the committee, attributing this breach to the government’s consistent failure to uphold agreements made with them.
“As a committee, we have lost the moral right to engage these unions any longer,” he emphasized.
Nortsu-Kote recalled the CETAG strike, along with other significant protests where the committee intervened, only to see the government subsequently disregard their commitments.
“They listened to us and they returned to the lecturer halls. Only for government to say that…” he lamented, highlighting the frustration felt by both the unions and the committee members.
The impact of this situation has rendered the committee hesitant to reach out to the unions, as any attempts are met with skepticism.
“When we call the various unions again now, they ask us what is the guarantee that you will honor the agreement this time,” he noted, underscoring the deepening crisis in educational governance.
This erosion of confidence has created a challenging environment for the committee as they strive to facilitate dialogue and cooperation.
“So we are having a tough time now for having to talk to any union,” he added, pointing to the complexity of the current negotiations.
Nortsu-Kote further emphasized that the demands of the various unions and associations are not new, highlighting that the real issue lies in the authorities’ delays or outright refusal to implement agreed-upon terms.
“So for me, I don’t think the committee will call any union to go back to work. Because when we do that, government disappoints us, and I don’t think we have the moral courage to do that again,” he concluded, painting a somber picture of the ongoing educational strife in Ghana.
