Sack Prof. Stephen Adei As NDPC Boss For Calling Teachers Criminals - NAGRAT To Nana Addo
Teachers unions in the country have condemned comments attributed to former Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Prof Stephen Adei, who is reported to have described pupil teachers as criminals.
Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has asked the newly appointed Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) to apologise for the comments attributed to him.
The Nationa l Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) has also said the comments by the renowned educationists is characteristic of his longstanding dislike for teachers.
Professor Adei is reported to have described public basic school teachers as “pure criminals” during an interview with Accra based Class FM last Thursday.
He is quoted to have said, “Ghanaian teachers in public basic schools are ‘criminals’ because “they do not teach” yet take their salaries and send their children to private schools.”
Photo: Prof Adei is respected educationist.
However, in a sharp reply NAGRAT said “under normal circumstances, the Association would have treated the statement of Prof. Stephen Adei with disdain and the contempt it deserves knowing the track record of his hatred and senile attacks on the Ghanaian Teachers in the past, but for the fact that he has just been appointed as the Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) which makes him a government appointee and for that matter a state official who should make public statements taking the sensitivities of people into considerations.”
The comments by NAGRAT are contained in a press release signed by the Association’s president, Eric Carbonu .
“One major point of worry to us is that Prof. Stephen Adei was invited to the said programme [on Class FM] to give a talk on the problems confronting the double track system he advocated to government to implement. Instead of confronting the challenges of the double track programme, he rather decided to deviate to attack hard working Ghanaian Teachers,” NAGRAT said.
Read the full statement from NAGRAT below.
PRESS RELEASE
The attention of the leadership of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) has been drawn to a statement made by Prof. Stephen Adei calling “Basic School Teachers as pure criminals”.
The fault of the Ghanaian Teacher per the thinking of Professor Stephen Adei is that they take the salaries and send their children to private schools.
Under normal circumstances, the Association would have treated the statement of Prof. Stephen Adei with disdain and the contempt it deserves knowing the track record of his hatred and senile attacks on the Ghanaian Teachers in the past, but for the fact that he has just been appointed as the Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) which makes him a government appointee and for that matter a state official who should make public statements taking the sensitivities of people into considerations.
One major point of worry to us is that, Prof. Stephen Adei was invited to the said programme to give a talk on the problems confronting the Double track system he advocated to government to implement. Instead of confronting the challenges of the Double Track programme, he rather decided to deviate to attack hardworking Ghanaian Teachers.
A little education will help Prof. Stephen Adei to appreciate the fact that Teachers serve this country in every city, town, village and hamlet, sometimes under very strenuous conditions. These teachers have to deal with the situation of lack of good drinking water, electricity, no communication, very dilapidated school environment and hostile communities. In spite of these, the versatility of the teacher has helped salvaged an otherwise bad situation.
This is not the first time Prof. Stephen Adei has taken an undeserved swipe at the Ghanaian Teacher. He once called on the government to sack all Teachers. He also referred to teachers as demonic.
NAGRAT cannot establish what actually is pursuing Prof. Stephen Adei, be they spiritual or psychological but one thing we can establish for sure is that Prof. Adei’s current state is not adequately equipped to appreciate the enormity of the challenges confronting Ghana’s Education and for that matter teaching and learning.
As a matter of fact, he is one of the chief advocates of the double track system at the Senior High Schools in Ghana but does not find it prudent to replicate same for his own school, the Christian High School near Dodowa.
We call on all Ghanaian teachers to disregard the tantrums of Prof. Adei and treat his comments and attacks with the contempt it deserves.
NAGRAT hereby call on the government to relieve Prof. Stephen Adei of the position of Chairman of the National Development Planing Commission (NDPC) since his pronouncements and tantrums offend the sensibilities of hard-working Ghanaian Teachers. His behaviour does not seem to have what it takes to harness our human energies towards national development.
ERIC CARBONU
PRESIDENT OF NAGRAT
Source: Ghana | Myjoyonline.com