Bernard Allotey Jacobs has called on government to replace the teachers on strike with unemployed graduates to make up for the disruption in the academic calendar.
Teachers at the pre-tertiary level, on Monday, July 4, embarked on strike demanding a 20% increase in the Cost of Living Allowance (COLA).
Labour unions have also threatened to take similar industrial action commencing on Tuesday, July 19.
Although the State authorities in charge of addressing the unions’ concerns have had a meeting with them to arrive at an amicable conclusion on the latest developments, the unions have however refused to call off their strike.
In view of this, Allotey Jacobs says the government should optimize the situation by taking the unemployed graduates to fill the vacuum created by the teachers on strike.
“If we employ the 1 millon unemployed graduates to start teaching whereas the teacher unions are negotiating with government, it would really help,” he said.
He however appealed to the unions to reconsider their decision, saying “I plead with them that doing the right thing at the wrong time is as equal as doing the wrong thing. This is time for us to beat our chest to say that we are Ghanaians, so Mr. President, irrespective of your faults, the world is suffering, therefore we will support you to make things better”.
The social commentator, Allotey Jacobs, made these submissions on Peace FM’s morning show.