Kofi Asare charges Teacher Unions to decline any package that does not include Deprived Area Allowance

Mr. Kofi Asare, the Executive Director of EDUWATCH has charged Teacher Unions to decline any package from the government that does not include Deprived Area Allowance for its members. The government is feet-dragging the negotiation process for teachers including adding the Deprived Area Allowance due to teachers.

According to Mr. Asare, the members of the Teacher Unions are not ready to listen to excuses again concerning negotiations for allowances due to teachers.

“The Teacher Unions should NEVER accept any package without the Deprived Area Allowance deal for its members. We have not come this far to listen to excuses.
Stand Firm!,” Mr. Kofi Asare posted.

The call for the inclusion of Deprived Area Allowance in the recent negotiation by Mr. Asare has generated many discussions.

According to GNAT on the topic, they said “The government, FWSC, MoE, and GES on one side and the UNIONS on the other side formed a committee to determine which areas are deprived areas. The work was done and report presented almost 2 years ago (2022).”

READ ALSO:

GNAT to present data to GES on allowance for teachers in deprived areas

GNAT’s explanation came after the comment about the data submission of teachers to GES for its reflection on their payslips below.

“Unfortunately, Ghana Education Service (GES) is not having any data of deprived School Teachers on Payroll.
If GES is having such data which reflects on payslips of deprived School teachers, it would trigger such allowances payment easily.

“What Ghana National Association of Teachers -GNAT and other Teacher Unions need to do now is to force Ghana Education Service to have such data and it must reflect on payslips of deprived School Teachers.”

READ ALSO: GNAT to present data to GES on allowance for teachers in deprived areas

READ ALSO: GES directed to ensure payment of allowances to teachers in deprived communities

The Condition of Service for teachers in Ghana is nothing to write about. Many teachers have sacrificed their time, life, and resources to nurture learners to become other great professionals but addressing the needs of these teachers has become a feet-dragging topic and hectic for the government and the pillars to manifest the will of teachers /or facilitators.

Teachers are in communities that do not have electricity, no source of good drinking water, and poor road networks. In addition, these same teachers teach from KG to JHS 3 and yet don’t have any allowance to motivate him. At the end of the day, parents, the public, and the government want a 100 per cent score for their performance.

It has been more than a decade now teachers have been pushing for the right course but the government and its accomplices have turned a dead ear to their cries.

The Teacher Unions have accelerated their push for a good outcome from the negotiation with the government. Their actions have signaled clearly that it is time for the government to pay attention to their long call.

READ ALSO: Highlights of 24 decisions made by GNAT National Council for Teachers 2022 

According to Section 18 (FRINGE BENEFITS) of the Collective Agreement between the Ghana Education Service and the Teacher Unions in the Education Service (on behalf of all Teaching employees in the Ghana Education Service) document, the allowances for teachers under Fringe benefits were listed and explained

SECTION 18. FRINGE BENEFITS

18.1 Maintenance and Mileage Allowances

i. Maintenance and Mileage allowances shall be paid at approved rate to all teaching employees of Ghana education service who are entitled to own and who own and use a means of transport in the performance of their duties.

i. A committed allowance shall be paid to the teaching employees in the service who own means of transport at the approved rate.

18.2 NIGHT ALLOWANCE

i. The service shall pay night allowance to employees on duty outside their duty stations according to approved government rates when accommodation and meals are not provided.
ii. Where accommodation and meals are provided, employees shall be paid an out-of-pocket allowance equivalent to a third of the value of the night allowance rate.

18.3 Allowances for Teachers in Deprived/Difficult Areas

Allowances based on a percentage of monthly gross salary shall be paid to teachers posted to areas designated as deprived.

18.4 Charge Allowances

Where an employee is made to perform the duties of a higher employee, under circumstances where acting allowances is not applicable, a non-taxable charge allowance shall be paid to the employee during the period of such duties.

18.5 Supervision Allowance

There shall be designated established posts in the service that shall attract payment of supervision allowances for such designated posts and their corresponding allowances shall be subject to negotiation by both parties.

ii. The under-listed posts shall attract supervision allowances which shall be a percentage of monthly gross salary.

BASIC SCHOOLS

1. Headteacher

2. Assistant Headteacher

SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL/TECHNICAL SCHOOLS

1. Headmaster/Headmistress

2. Assistant Headmaster/Assistant Headmistress

3. Senior Housemaster/Senior Housemistress

4. Housemaster/Housemistress

5. Form Master/Form Mistress

6. Head of Department
7. Guidance and Counseling Officer

TEACHER TRAINING COLLEGES

1. Principal

2. Vice Principal

3. Head of Department

4. Senior housemaster/Housemistress

5. Assessment Officer

6. Form Tutor

7. Housemaster/Housemistress
8. Guidance and Counseling Coordinator
9. Resource Centre Coordinator

SPECIAL SCHOOLS

1. Principal
2. Vice Principal
3. Housefather/housemother
4. Housemaster/housemistress
5. Form master/mistress
6. Head of department
7. Senior housemaster/housemistress

18.6 Professional Allowance

Professional allowance of a percentage of each employee’s monthly gross salary shall be paid to all certified teachers who are in the employment of the Ghana Education Service.

18.7 Allowances for Mathematics, Science, and Technical Teachers.

Certified teachers who teach mathematics, science, and technical, vocational, and ICT subjects shall have a percentage of the monthly gross salary over and above their normal placements except that this facility shall be waived when the personnel concerned stops teaching these subjects.

18.8 Protective Clothing

Technical/Vocational, Science, ICT, and Home Economics teachers shall be provided with protective clothing periodically.

18.9 Advance to purchase means of Transport Employees of the Ghana education service shall be entitled in advances to purchase means of transport, in accordance with existing regulations.

18.10 Salary Advance

Two months gross leave salary advance approved by management, which may be recoverable in twelve (12) months.

18.11 Special Advance

The service may grant special advance to members of the service in the event of the verified death of an employees father, mother, spouse, child, or in the case of theft, fire or such mishap an employee on application may be considered for not more than two (2) months salary advance. Repayment of such advance shall commence after two months grace period and shall be spread over a period not exceeding twenty-four months.

18.12 Transfer Grant

A transfer grant of two months’ salary shall be paid to each member on the approved transfer. An employee shall be paid a transfer grant at the appropriate rate where the transfer is at the instance of management provided it is not on disciplinary grounds and the transfer results in the change of station as well as movement of household effects.

It is also applicable even if the transfer is at the instance of the employee concerned provided he has served a minimum period of four (4) years in one district and provided such transfer results in the change of place abode as well as movement of household effects.

18.13 Rent Advance
An advance not exceeding the employee’s basic gross annual salary may be granted to employee for the purpose of solving an accommodation problem.

18.14 Advance for the purchase of durable household goods.
A loan not exceeding 150% of an employee’s annual gross salary may be granted to a confirmed employee to purchase furniture and any other household appliances. Such loan when granted shall be repaid in not more than eighty-four equal installments.

SOURCE: Coverghana.com.gh