MAKING TEACHERS GO HUNGRY

The Ghana Education Service upon the falling standards of education in the country for some time now, seems not to be putting its feet on the ground to make sure teachers working conditions are improved in order for them to have the best of mind and deliver their lessons effectively to equip our school pupils/students with skills, knowledge and attitude that will enable them become responsible citizens of our country in the near future.

In this episode, I will like to draw the public's attention to the frustration those working at the IPPD Unit at the GES Headquarters in Accra are taking teachers through despite the hard economic conditions our country is been faced with.

In the attempt, to delete Ghost names from the Ghana Education Service's Payroll, teachers who were at post and have been contributing their quota towards the development of our mother Ghana were deleted. This can be attributed to perhaps poor data handling or negligence.

The laid down procedures in the Ghana Education Service, stipulates that, such teachers must write letter for reactivation of salary to their various District Education Offices, after this has been down it must be forwarded to the IPPD Unit at GES Headquarters for necessary action to be taken and then sent to CAGD for validation, but the document will get to GES IPPD Unit for several months without the personnel attending to the urgency of such a documents.

The surprising thing is that, after they had finally worked on the documents it takes months before such an important document is sent to CAGD for validation though CAGD is also Accra. When teachers find out from CAGD whether their documents have been brought for validation? The response is GES IPPD Unit has not brought it. In this regard, it can takes the teachers at times 5months before their salaries will be paid and with the current government policy only 3months salary arrears will be paid to such a person and he must go through additional frustration before the remaining arrears will be paid.

How do those working at IPPD Unit at GES Headquarters expect these teachers to earn a living? It can be true that perhaps majority of them take car to school each day, where will they get money to pay for their transport? So they had to go people to borrow money which is disgrace to their Profession and Integrity.

The question I want to ask is whether, those working at the IPPD office at GES Headquarters had ever taught? If they had never taught then there are round pegs in square holes. They must be replaced and teachers trained and put there to address the concern of teachers, if this is not looked at very soon teachers will stand up to demonstrate against the IPPD Unit at GES Headquarters for their inefficiency and look worm attitude towards the needs of teachers.

In another vain, when teachers' documents are sent for promotion and upgrading is takes several months before they are done and this is making the teachers not to have peace of mind to work, based on the research we conducted. The fact is that everybody is working to earn a living including those working at the IPPD office at the GES Headquarters. They are just delaying and punishing the teachers. How is their work output measured over there? This must be answered by the Acting Director General.

The Ghana Education Service is always on teachers to prepare scheme of work, write note, mark exercise, register, mark exams, prepare report cards, and teach and so on.

To conclude, in April 2014 a lot of teachers were cut off from the GES Payroll especially those who went for further studies and completed in 2013 but have not been able to transfer their salaries to their current stations, as I speak those teachers are in perpetual hardship because for three months now their salaries have not been paid just because the IPPD Unit at GES have not forwarded their documents to CADG for validation, the documents are lying on their tables right now and whether by July ending those teachers will be paid only God knows.

This is human right violation in the highest degree, because the said teachers applied for transfer of salary to the current stations, the documents were sent to GES IPPD Unit for more than three months it has not been worked on and the same people gave other to CAGD to cut off the salary of these teachers. The documents are lying in the IPPD Unit at the Headquarters right now; all those teachers they claimed have not transferred the salary.

Our country is becoming sick, those in realm of affairs are taking their subordinates for granted they are only interested in issues concerning money, forgetting that they are put there to serve the good people of Ghana.

The education service must be the pace setter for all other institution to follow but is that what is happening? Upon the plenty education, attitudes are directly opposite then all they can say is teacher absenteeism, do you expect teachers in this situations to go to school 5times in a week? If you were them, will you have gone to work 5 times in a week? Be fair and answer the question those working at IPPD Unit at GES Headquarters.

The IPPD Unit at GES Headquarters should not think that they are been paid with their own money it is the same Tax Payer's money they are also been paid with. They should put their feet's in the shoes of these teachers in this economic hardship.

The salary is not adequate, now nothing is coming don't they now these teachers will eat, pay rent and pay utility etc.

In this regard, am calling on media men and women to go to the IPPD Unit at the GES Headquarter and see things for themselves to enable them report vividly on these issues to Minister of Education and the public at large.

A word to the wise is enough; the Acting Director General of GES should supervise the performance of the IPPD Unit and address these issues quickly to avoid nationwide demonstration from teachers by Tuesday 8thth of July 2014. It will start from the Volta Region and then continue in other parts of the country, based on our findings.

In my next episode, I will bring out the challenges teachers are facing as far as signing of their documents at the various District Education Offices are concerned. Justice delayed is justice denied!

Long Live Our Homeland Ghana

Long Live Teachers

Long Live Researchers

By. Obed Agbavor
Researcher
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