The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has downplayed calls by some Ghanaians to close down all Teacher Trainee Colleges in response to the ongoing strike by members of the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG).

CETAG began a nationwide strike on June 14 due to the government’s failure to implement their arbitral awards and other conditions of service.

The nearly two-week-old strike has halted academic activities, leaving most campuses deserted by students.

In an interview with Citi News, the Deputy Director General of GTEC, Professor Francis K. E. Nunoo, stated that closing schools is not an option, as it would have severe financial implications for the institutions.

“Closing the school has financial implications, as well as their staying in school, as you have said. But we were hoping that we have done quite a lot of work, and quite a lot of all their demands are virtually almost addressed.

“So we were hoping that in the next few days, we will bring to a finality to the issues so that they can go back to school. Students are meanwhile doing their practical work so the practical work needs to be supervised. At least they are getting busy with their practical work.

“We are hopeful that in the next few days, CETAG will see a reason to call off the strike. It is when all these do not yield fruit, and then we will consider it.”