Teaching and academic activities in Colleges of Education nationwide have halted due to an indefinite strike by the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG). The association began the strike on November 24, 2025 accusing the government of failing to implement their 2023 Conditions of Service and ignoring the National Labour Commission’s arbitral award delivered on May 2, 2024.
Across Ghana students remain stranded, classrooms empty and academic calendars disrupted. Staff insists they will not return to the classroom until all outstanding allowances and disparities are resolved. CETAG maintains that the strike will continue until full implementation of the agreed conditions.
The Chronicle views with deep concern the complete shutdown of academic activities in Colleges of Education across the country, following the indefinite strike declared by the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG). For days, teacher trainees have been left without lecturers, their classrooms abandoned and their academic calendar thrown into chaos. What is unfolding is not merely an administrative disagreement; it is a looming national crisis that threatens the quality and progression of Ghana’s teacher education pipeline.
At the heart of CETAG’s action lies a simple, recurring grievance: government’s failure to honour its own commitments. The association’s 2023 Conditions of Service were agreed upon, negotiated and further affirmed by an arbitral award from the National Labour Commission on May 2, 2024. Yet, close to a year later, the award remains largely unimplemented. When teachers, who play a foundational role in shaping the country’s human capital, must repeatedly, resort to strikes before being taken seriously, it suggests a worrying pattern of neglect.
The Chronicle believes that the government’s posture in these disputes often creates the very crises it later struggles to resolve. Students are idling and loitering around campuses because their lecturers have abandoned the chalkboard, not out of unwillingness to teach, but out of frustration and disrespect they feel from their employer. Some students complained that such disruptions have become a yearly ritual since 2024. This should trouble everyone.
The Chronicle insists that continuous disruptions in Colleges of Education are unacceptable. These colleges are the training grounds for the next generation of basic school teachers. Every period of academic stagnation widens the gap in teacher supply, delays postings
and ultimately affects the learning outcomes of pupils across the country. A weakened Colleges of Education system today means a weaker national education system tomorrow.
CETAG’s demands are not extravagant. They are asking for the implementation of conditions of service that government had already agreed to and signed off on. They are calling for the resolution of disparities and the payment of allowances owed to their members. These are legitimate requests grounded in due process and lawful arbitration.
The Chronicle, therefore, urges government to abandon the strategy of delays and half-commitments. When workers lose confidence in signed agreements, the entire labour negotiation framework collapses. Already, CETAG members at Komenda say they feel “sidelined” and “treated unfairly.” Such sentiments deepen mistrust and make future negotiations even more difficult.
This is why engagement not confrontation is the only sustainable path. The Ministry of Education, the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission, and the Ministry of Finance must meet CETAG at the table with urgency, honesty, and commitment. It is not enough to issue press statements expressing concern. Government must act.
The Chronicle further calls on the National Labour Commission to assert its authority. An arbitral award is not a suggestion; it is binding. If state agencies continue to ignore NLC directives with impunity, then the entire dispute resolution architecture loses credibility.
We cannot build a robust education system on the back of unresolved labour tensions. We therefore urge government to immediately implement the agreed 2023 Conditions of Service and restore normalcy in the colleges. The future of teacher training and by extension, the future of Ghana’s classrooms depends on it.
