Head teachers directed to be in school amidst strike – Education Minister

The Minister of Education Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum has directed head teachers to be in school amidst the ongoing teacher unions strike at the pre-tertiary education level.

The Education Minister, speaking in an interview directed all head teachers of pre-tertiary schools to go back to the classrooms and continue with their managerial duties as the strike continues.

According to the Minister of Education, heads of Basic Schools and Senior High Schools at large are not to partake in the indefinite industrial actions declared by the three teacher unions thus; NAGRAT, GNAT and CCT-GH on Friday November 4, 2022 over the appointment of Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES) Dr. Eric Nkansah and contract extension of Lawyer Anthony Boateng Deputy Director-General of GES among other issues.

Meanwhile, Management of the Ghana Education Service (GES) said, they have read from the media that the three (3) Teacher Unions in the Pre-Tertiary Education sector have declared withdrawal of their services effective Friday November 4, 2022.

According to GES, Heads of public Kindergarten and Primary Schools as well as Junior and Senior High Schools have been directed through the Regional and District Directors to mobilise their Management teams to ensure the safety and well-being of all students in schools.

Parents are advised to remain calm and be assured that Management is closely monitoring the situation and will advise on the way forward accordingly.

Regional and District Directors have further been directed to ensure that Heads keep schools opened and closely supervise all children who report to school pending further directives from Management of GES.

BACKGROUND

The three teacher unions in Pre-tertiary education; GNAT, NAGRAT and CCT-GH have declared an indefinite strike over the appointment of a Banker, Dr. Eric Nkansah as Director-General of Ghana Education Service (GES) and contract extension of Lawyer Anthony Boateng as Deputy Director-General of GES among others.

The Unions indicated that, the position of Director-General of the Ghana Education Service is the preserve of Educationist, and has been occupied by Educationists since its creation in the 1970s, and remained as such, even under the military regime.

Giving more details, the teacher unions disclosed that, since the creation of the Ghana Education Service (GES), a total of seventeen (17) Director-Generals were appointed. Out of this number, five (5) were professors from the academia who were known to have operated in the education space. The rest were all higher officers of the Ghana Education Service and remained as such, even under the military regime.

GNAT, NAGRAT and CCT-GH noted that, appointment of a Banker instead of Educationist is a manifestation of lack of confidence in teachers to manage their own affairs and disregard to the established scheme of service and progression within the GES.

With Mr. Anthony Boateng, the Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Education Service who was granted one more year contract extension, the Unions still opposed the said contract extension, and thereby sounds a note of caution, that they would vehemently and vigorously resist any attempt to bring Mr. Anthony Boateng back into the system, and that the consequences of any such attempt may be too dire to handle.

The Unions have also outlined the non payment of deprived school allowance, issues on distribution of teachers’ laptops, issues on promotion and other issues related to their conditions of services as the basis of the strike.

Unfortunately, government also failed to heed to the calls from the Union leaders.

At a press conference held on Friday, 4th November, 2022, the Teacher Unions said, they were compelled under the current circumstances to publicly communicate to Ghanaians on their intention to go on strike having reached the November 4, 2022 deadline they gave government.

Consequently, the Unions have decided to embark on strike from Friday, November 4, 2022.

By this, GNAT, NAGRAT and CCT-GH are informing the general public that they are withdrawing their services in all the pre-tertiary education institutions.

SOURCE: Coverghana.com.gh