Deputy Minister of Education, Dr Clement Apaak, has said that the government will continue pleading with striking teachers to return to the classroom while negotiations over their concerns continue.
He said the government was not taking an antagonistic position towards the teachers and acknowledged the concerns that had triggered the ongoing 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.
The strike, which has kept pupils at home for about two weeks, centres on three key issues: delays in the payment of promotion-related benefits, the proposed deprived rural-area allowance and the renewal of the teachers’ collective agreement.
Dr Apaak said the government recognised the importance of teachers and was working to resolve the outstanding issues while urging them to resume teaching.
“We are not antagonistic. We are not challenging their demands. We have not said anywhere that they are not justified,” he said.
He said the government was particularly concerned about the disruption to teaching and learning and would continue efforts to bring the strike to an end.
“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.
Dr Apaak declined to disclose the specific sticking points in the ongoing negotiations, saying it would not be appropriate for him to discuss details of the talks publicly while negotiations were still underway.
He, however, said the government expected progress on the issues, including the processing of promotion-related payments for affected teachers.
