Teachers Have More Urgent Issues That Warrant Strike Action Rather Than The Appointment Of A New DG | Features

After occurring strike as a result of excessive value of residing, trainer unions negotiated for a 15% COLA. Before the demand, the instructing group was coping with a number of considerations that required equal consideration. However, the unions select to focus their justification for COLA on the excessive value of residing. The occupation continues to be stricken by issues with promotions and transfers, and it would not seem that the trainer unions have made any determined makes an attempt to ensure that these issues are remedied. Far from it; after negotiating substandard laptops for academics, GNAT, NAGRAT, and CCT's credibility is now in query. They have been in a position to efficiently deduct academics' salaries, however they have been unable to ensure that each one academics acquired the laptops in the identical method.

While unions are alleged to symbolize academics and act of their greatest pursuits, they're presently occupied with opposing the selection of a brand new director normal. The justification they've supplied for opposing the appointment is perplexing. Surprisingly, they hold threatening the president with menace after menace, stating, amongst different issues, that academics have to be represented by educators relatively than "a banker." NAGRAT even asserts that the appointment is in opposition to the phrases of the collective bargaining settlement for academics. At their most up-to-date convention, GNAT additionally made an identical vow to vehemently oppose the appointment.

One could query how a lot effort these unions (GNAT, NAGRAT, and CCT) are exerting to forestall an appointment over which they don't have any management. The solely factor these unions can do to assist academics in Ghana is to oppose the appointment of a brand new DG though there are different pressing considerations going through them. Ironically, the unions are unable to strike over the backlog of promotions, unpaid wage arrears, and so on on the headquarters which were pending since 2016 or the delay in laptop computer distribution. This demonstrates unequivocally the place trainer union pursuits lay. If trainer unions are actually involved concerning the predicament of academics, we don't imagine it's acceptable for them to name for a strike in protest of an appointment once they declare the brand new DG doesn't even advantage that gesture.

Since GNAT, NAGRAT, and CCT are solely excited about preventing a course that nobody has ordered them to combat, academics should pay attention to the reality and be cautious of them. In any state of affairs, trainer unions ought to file a lawsuit in the event that they imagine the brand new DG was chosen improperly. What, as soon as extra, prevented the trainer unions from assembly with the president or the minister of training to precise their dissatisfaction and request for a change? Instead, they opted to difficulty useless threats in public.

Teachers want to concentrate on the next:

(A) The DG is chosen politically. No trainer or GES worker routinely holds the place of Director General.
(b) The administrative nature of the Director General's place signifies that it may be crammed by essentially the most seasoned administrator from a wide range of backgrounds.
(c) The DG works collaboratively. He is supported in his duties on the Headquarters by three different sub-directors.
(d) A mistaken impression that the brand new DG is just a banker can be current. That is unfaithful. The new DG had beforehand taught in tertiary and SHS settings. Additionally, he has finished a variety of work for the Ministry of Education.

We implore academics to carry union officers accountable for higher working circumstances. Teachers should refuse any UNPRODUCTIVE CALL FOR STRIKE that serves the pursuits of a choose group of privileged nationwide officers of GNAT, NAGRAT, and CCT. NO ONE HAS ASKED THEM TO OPPOSE A POLITICAL APPOINTMENT; IT IS THEIR INTEREST AND VINDICTIVENESS.

...Signed...
Albert Amoah Dadson
General Secretary
All Teachers Alliance Ghana (ATAG)
0249403277/ 0241871847
[email protected]