Pre-Tertiary Education Teachers’ Unions have given the Ghana Education Service (GES) a seven-week ultimatum to resolve all their grievances.
According to them, if by close of September 2021, all issues were not fixed, they would have no option than to advise themselves in the best interest of its members within the framework of their Collective Agreement and the applicable Laws of the country.
The Unions listed a number of grievances including; the failure of the employer to provide teaching and resources to teachers and pupils; increase contact and working hours; delay in upgrading teachers; failure to restore responsibility allowance; teachers’ promotion crisis; refusal to appoint teachers in the office as Heads and Assistant Heads of Schools as some of their grievances that they want the GES to resolve immediately.
The rests are Transfer of teachers in special Schools, signing of performance contract and other benefits/allowances including; car maintenance allowance, rent advance, allowances for teachers in deprived/difficult areas and additional duty allowance, among others, which are not being honoured.
Mr Thomas T. Musah, the General Secretary of Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and the Spokesperson of the Unions, speaking at a news conference, said in spite of the progress Ghana had made in improving access to education for all, the Authorities had failed to provide teachers and pupils with modern aids to teaching and learning.
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He said: “Such aids are means of improving the quality of teaching and learning. There are no textbooks, school environment is not conducive for learning, classes are crowded, and the payment of capitation grant and administrative resources are delayed, among other things”.
That, he said, led to the poor quality of education as reflected in students’ results, especially at the first cycle institutions”.
The Unions – The GNAT, National Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers – Ghana (CCT-GH), said they are using the same Conference apprising the National Labour Commission (NLC), of the development and intents, in case of failure of the GES, to address the concern.
The GES is also accused of increasing the workload of teachers but failing to compensate affected teachers as in their Collective Agreement.
Mr Musah said the hours teachers are required to work per day and per week should be determined by the GES and the Unions as enjoined by the CA.
He mentioned the demands upon the time of the teacher imposed by participation in research, in co-curricular and extra-curricular activities in supervisory duties in addition to new changes in classroom delivery/instructions as a result of COVID-19 pandemic.
