Apac Secondary School Teachers Strike Over Unpaid Salaries

A fraction of Secondary school teachers on government payroll in Apac District have reportedly laid down their tools over salary arrears.

Last week the angry teachers petitioned the Apac Chief Administrative Officer, CAO over accumulated salary arrears for three months giving up to the 13 March for the district to clear them. However, they were paid only for one month prompting them to lay down their tools on Monday.

They are now claiming the salary arrears for the months of November and December 2022.
The affected schools are Akokoro Secondary School, Apac Seed Secondary School, Chegere Secondary School and Ibuje Secondary School.

Learners are now left stranded as teachers are no longer attending to them despite being present at school.

Joel Peter Odia the head teacher of Ibuje Secondary School said that the ongoing teachers strike has affected the normal running of the school activities urging the district leadership to urgently handle the matter.

Edward Ogwang the headteacher of Chegere Senior Secondary school who doubles as the Apac Chairperson of secondary School headteachers’s association says he is only working with teachers being paid by Parent Teacher Association funds.

Ogwang adds that his teachers were paid only oncs for a period of three months.

“I am only working with teachers who are being paid by PTA, all those on government they are demanding just, they have not come for work. I can`t even force the because it is their right, they have not been paid for. It was three month but they have only been paid for one month last week now remaining 2 months…”

Mr Edward Ogwang Explains.

Meanwhile Patrick Ocen the Apac District Senior Education Officer, explains that the challenge on the delay of paying teachers arise from the government not their own making.

“Those challenges are not our own making but its government side where the money was not enough, they decrease the salaries for some teachers but they did not supplementary budget for the payment.”

Patrick Ocen the Apac District Senior Education Officer in response