With little or no academic instruction, final-year senior high students are particularly worried about lost learning time as the nationwide teachers’ strike continues.For many students in Kumasi, the school day has become a routine of reporting to class, sitting for hours and eventually returning without a single lesson.The nationwide strike by the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG) began on September 25, 2026, over outstanding concerns including the placement of promoted teachers on new salary levels and negotiations on conditions of service.Recent engagements between the government and the unions have so far failed to produce a resolution.For students, however, the disagreement between government and teachers has translated into something much more immediate: a growing gap in their education.“We come to school, and there is nothing to do,” said a Form Three student at Prempeh College who described the experience as frustrating, particularly for students preparing to leave secondary school.“We don’t have any work to do. No teachers have been coming to class, and we have little time to cover the syllabus before WASSCE starts,” he added.The student said the normal school routine has continued, but without teachers, much of the day is spent simply waiting.Another Form Three student said the situation was especially worrying for final-year students who have limited time left to prepare academically.According to the student, some learners have resorted to extra classes as the only available avenue for structured teaching, but that option is not accessible to everyone.Students whose families cannot afford additional lessons risk falling further behind, raising concerns about the unequal impact of the strike on learners from different economic backgrounds.For final-year students, the uncertainty is particularly concerning as they prepare for examinations and the transition beyond secondary school.Earlier observations in Accra showed classrooms largely vacant, with some students left on school compounds without teachers to supervise or teach them. In some schools, students were seen playing while others remained in classrooms.The situation has continued to put pressure on school authorities, who must keep students occupied and safe while normal academic activities remain suspended.Amid the disruption, some schools are finding ways to ensure students are not completely idle.One such response has been the organisation of activities under Freshers Week, giving newly admitted students opportunities to participate in programmes designed to keep them engaged during a period when regular teaching has been severely affected.Although such activities cannot replace classroom instruction, they provide students with structured engagement and an opportunity to develop interests outside the traditional academic setting.The activities also offer a degree of relief from what has otherwise become a monotonous routine of coming to school, sitting in classrooms and waiting without lessons.For freshers, the programmes can help with social interaction, orientation and integration into school life, while giving the broader student population something constructive to participate in during the disruption.But students say activities cannot replace teaching. Despite the positives, students acknowledge that such initiatives are not a substitute for their teachers.For students in Form Three, in particular, entertainment and extracurricular activities cannot address the academic pressure created by weeks without regular lessons and can only serve as a temporary relief in this period.Their concern is not simply about being bored. It is about the cumulative effect of lost instructional time.With every additional day without teaching, students worry about topics that remain uncovered, revision schedules that are disrupted and the possibility of having to catch up under intense pressure once teachers eventually return.The government has repeatedly appealed to the unions to suspend the strike, and discussions are still ongoing to get teachers back in the classrooms as soon as possible.For students, the hope is simple: that the negotiations end soon and teachers return to their classrooms.Until then, school authorities are left trying to keep students occupied, while learners — especially those in their final year — continue to count the cost of days without teaching.While Freshers Week and other school activities may provide a welcome distraction, students say what they ultimately need is to get back to learning.