Some teachers are demanding the immediate resignation of the leadership of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) for allegedly sleeping on their concerns.
The teachers who are concerned about the outcome of the recent teacher promotion examination, picketed at the Ghana Education Service Headquarters before they marched to the GNAT Head Office where they struggled to gain entry into the premises.
The teachers say the promotion examination system has several shortcomings, which led to some of them failing to get their promotion. They allege their leadership have agreed with the GES that they should re-sit the examination.
“We wrote an exam and then messages came for us to check the results, we received three different messages, the first was that some were successful and that others have not been successful and then a majority of us were told to bring our documents for verification. Now the story has changed, there are teachers who were successful but all of a sudden are unsuccessful”, one teacher stressed.
Another added that, “We have served them [GES] petitions on this matter and have been waiting for a response. But till now, they haven’t given us a response. So we came here today to follow up, but the reception given to us was not good at all, they don’t want to listen to us, as though we were disturbing them.”
It started as a peaceful protest at the Headquarters of the Ghana Education Service when scores of the aggrieved teachers picketed and demanded that some anomalies in their promotional exam be fixed.
Deputy Education Minister, Reverend Ntim Fodjour addressed the aggrieved teachers on the Ghana Education Service premises and promised that their concerns will be looked into.
“The Minister is very much committed to ensuring that a system is put in place to listen, even much more closely to the concerns and grievances on many issues regarding welfare.”
He announced that a Teacher Welfare app, will be launched soon by the Education Ministry for teachers to be able to lodge complaints and have them promptly addressed.
The teachers then marched from the Education Ministry to the GNAT Secretariat, to urge their leaders to fight on their behalf.
That is when conflict ensued because officials of GNAT refused to allow them entry into the premises.
The affected teachers tried to force their way through the locked gate but were prevented by some security men and officials of GNAT.
The teachers are demanding the immediate resignation of GNAT General Secretary, Thomas Musah and other executives including the Association’s President, Mrs Philippa Larsen.
One of the incensed teachers told JoyNews reporter Kwaku Asante Bismark, “GNAT has taken us for granted for a long time, Thomas Musah and Phillipa Larsen must resign today, it is our money that was used to put up that mansion in which they sit and enjoy.”
They say they will form a splinter group if their leaders do not fight on their behalf.
It took pushes and shouts for the entrance of GNAT to be opened to the enraged teachers.
A Deputy General Secretary of the Association, Daniel Affadu later met the aggrieved teachers and assured them that the Association will promptly liaise with the GES to ensure that the issues are resolved.
