Why Teachers Should Strike: 3 Reasons Why Industrial Action is Essential
Why Teachers Should Strike: 3 Reasons Why Industrial Action is Essential
Teachers work hard, often without recognition. When they finally demand action, the public either ignores them or judges them as selfish. Why are teachers so misunderstood? Why do they struggle to gain respect and recognition for their profession?
A strike is a last resort for any worker who has been denied a fair and just working environment.
Teachers are now on the cusp of an industrial action because they have exhausted all other means of getting their voice heard and redressed.
Let’s take a look at why teachers should strike, based on three major reasons:
#1 Teachers are underpaid and overworked
There is a massive discrepancy between the level of stress, hard work, and the pay and recognition teachers receive. Teachers have one of the most stressful jobs in the world.
They have to impart knowledge, deal with different kinds of students, manage and handle disruptive students, and be present at school for longer hours than most other professions.
Yet, they are paid less than many blue collar workers, who work fewer hours and face lower levels of stress. In a study by the American Psychological Association, one out of every five teachers reported “extreme levels of stress,” and almost a third said they had “high levels of stress.”
Additionally, teachers are at high risk of developing mental health issues, including depression and anxiety. Teachers are one of the highest-risk professions for developing a mental health condition. This is especially true for younger teachers.
#2 Industrial action is the only way to be heard
No industry can ever wholly rest on its past achievements. It is always rising or falling in public appreciation.
The only way in which it can ever regain its legitimate place in the community is by prompt and effective re-action to existing criticism and suggestion for improvement.
If the teacher is not to be the object of the distrust and dislike of parents and children, she must constantly show that she is worthy of their confidence and affection.
There is no profession, which is more dependent on public approval and sentiment than the teaching profession.
If the teacher is to maintain her rightful place in society, she must at all times show herself alert to every suggestion of criticism or complaint and prompt in taking such action as may correct conditions that are undesirable and out of harmony with the ideals towards which the teaching profession is constantly striving.
#3 Schools are failing our kids, and teachers are doing their best
Teachers are on the frontlines in the battle to educate our children.
There are far too many children who are falling behind due to poor resources and a lack of funding for public education.
Many schools are crumbling, and teachers are doing their best to provide a proper and quality education for their students.
Teachers are often involved in fund-raising efforts to provide pens, paper, and other supplies for their students.
Many teachers spend their own money on books and other school supplies for their students.
Many public schools are so poorly funded that teachers have to use their own money to buy supplies for their students.
Teachers often have to deal with overcrowded classrooms, a lack of resources, and students who come to school hungry without having eaten breakfast.
They are understaffed and overworked, and they deserve better treatment than they are currently getting.
Conclusion
As the above analysis has shown, the teachers’ strikes are an essential part of the struggle for better conditions.
They are proof of the fact that workers are not merely fighting against their employers; they are also fighting against an unequal society that condemns many people to poverty.
Teachers’ strikes are a crucial form of resistance against the increasing prevalence of precarity in the job market.
If you are reading this, then you are either a teacher or a parent of a child who has faced the possibility of going to school under dire circumstances or with a teacher who has been overworked and underpaid.
READ: Fix these 4 issues before we strike again -Teachers to GES
This is your chance to stand in solidarity with educators and support industrial action by teachers. You can fight for a better future for your children and the generations to come.
Source: Ghana Education News