Deputy Minister of Education Dr Clement Apaak, has said the government will continue appealing to striking teachers to return to the classroom while negotiations over their demands remain ongoing.
He stressed that the government was not opposed to the teachers’ concerns and was instead working to find solutions to the issues that triggered the strike.
“It’s not a crime to plead. So as long as they are not in the classroom, we will continue to plead with them,” Dr Apaak said on Eyewitness News on Thursday, October 8, 2026.
Teachers have been on strike for about two weeks, keeping pupils at home as negotiations focus on three key concerns: delays in paying promotion-related benefits, the proposed deprived rural-area allowance and the renewal of the teachers’ collective agreement.
Dr Apaak said the government understood the importance of teachers to the education system and was committed to addressing their concerns while calling on them to resume work.
“We are not antagonistic. We are not challenging their demands. We have not said anywhere that they are not justified,” he said.
He noted that the prolonged strike was disrupting teaching and learning and said the government was making efforts to resolve the impasse.
“We will continue to supplicate. We are lying down prostrate. We are on our knees pleading with our teachers to come back to the classroom whilst we address their legitimate concerns,” he said.
While Dr Apaak did not disclose the specific areas of disagreement in the negotiations, he explained that doing so publicly could affect the ongoing talks.
He nevertheless indicated that the government expected progress on the outstanding matters, including the processing of promotion-related payments owed to affected teachers.
