Teachers must not be blamed for maintaining strike; the gov’t failed to act earlier – IFEST

Education policy analyst and Executive Director of the Institute for Education Studies (IFEST), Dr Peter Anti, has defended the decision by pre-tertiary teacher unions to maintain their nationwide strike, arguing that government failed to act with urgency to address their concerns.

Dr Anti also argued that the processing of outstanding promotion claims demonstrates the effectiveness of the strike in compelling government to act with urgency.

Speaking on JoyNews’ The Pulse on Tuesday, October 6, Dr Anti said the teachers had given government sufficient notice about their concerns, including the need to renegotiate their collective agreement, but meaningful action only intensified after the unions embarked on the industrial action.