Yagbonwura appeals to Mahama to intervene in Savannah College of Education workers’ strike

The Overlord of Gonjaland and Life Patron of the Savannah College of Education, Yagbonwura Bii-Kunuto Jewu Soale I, has appealed to President John Dramani Mahama to intervene in the ongoing strike by teaching and non-teaching staff of the institution.

According to him, the industrial action, which has entered its fifth day, is a major concern for the college and the Savannah Region, and requires urgent presidential intervention to get the workers back to work.

"I know and believe that my Son, the President, says yes, the challenges will be solved. So, what we need to hear from him now is to talk to his officers to address the workers' grievances, if not all, but the major ones."

The Overlord appealed in an interview with JoyNews through the Secretary to the Wasipe Traditional Council, Jantonwura Peter Awusi Yakubu, in Daboya.

The Overlord is particularly concerned about the impact of the strike on students, with kitchen staff also joining the industrial action.

He says the situation has disrupted food services at the college, leaving students without meals prepared on campus.

"I heard the cooks are also on strike, and it becomes a double problem because the chiefs I sent to the college came back and told me that the school doesn't even have food to feed the students. This is very serious."

About 170 teaching and non-teaching staff, drawn from the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana and the Colleges of Education Non-Teaching Staff Association of Ghana, are participating in the strike.

The workers are demanding their migration onto the public payroll system, saying they have not received payment for their services since the college was absorbed by the government in March 2025.They are also demanding the establishment of the college Management Unit to work on their migration to the public payroll.

They also claim the situation has contributed to the departure of 17 teachers to other colleges of education.

A visit by JoyNews to the college’s kitchen revealed that both the kitchen and pantry had been locked, leaving students to make alternative arrangements for their meals outside the campus.

The strike has heightened tension on campus and raised concerns about the welfare of students and the need for an urgent resolution to the dispute.