The President of the Principals of Colleges of Education (PRINCOF), Prof. Samuel Atintono, has clarified that during the ongoing Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) strike, students from various colleges have been engaged in their teaching practicums for six weeks.

In an interview on Joy FM's Newsnight on Wednesday, August 14, he emphasized that it is not accurate to say that the entire 64 days of the strike were wasted, as students were still involved in practicum teaching activities during that period.

"When they were on strike, our students go on practicum teaching activities. They need 6 weeks to do that so when they were not teaching, 6 weeks of what we are talking about, the students were on the field doing practical activity,” he said.

Prof. Atintono's comments come in response to concerns about the possibility of shutting down the colleges due to the prolonged strike.

He dismissed the likelihood of such a shutdown, stating that discussions on the matter are ongoing.

Meanwhile, Peter Nortsu-Kotoe, the Ranking Member of Parliament’s Education Committee, has also expressed concern over the strike's impact on students, noting that it could potentially disrupt the academic calendar.

• Read also: Give CETAG what is due them to call off strike – Nortsu-Kotoe tells gov’t

He reiterated that the decision to close the schools can only be made by the Minister of Education, through the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), though he expressed doubt that such a directive would be issued.

He therefore called on government to address the demands of the CETAG in order to end their ongoing strike.