'TDC Ejection Threat Means No GES At Tema'

The Tema Chapter of the Ghana National  Association of Teachers (GNAT) has pleaded with stakeholders of education to find a lasting solution to the accommodation problems facing the Tema Metropolitan Education Directorate.

The association noted that immediate actions needed to be taken by well-meaning Ghanaians, especially the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA), to pressurise the Tema Development Corporation (TDC) to suspend the ejection of the directorate.

 Mr George Asare Yamoah, President of Tema  chapter of GNAT, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that education officers currently worked under poor conditions.

Water supply to the offices has been disconnected, and the TDC has further threatened to disconnect electricity supply to the directorate, besides barricading the premises.

The GNAT expressed concern about the well-being of its staff working at the directorate as the education office annex had already been pulled down, a sign that TDC would eventually demolish the building.

He said the association was pleading with the TDC to exercise restraint as the TMA made efforts to mobilise funds to build an education office on a land acquired for the directorate at Community Two.

Mr Yamoah expressed worry that TDC action was undermining the implementation of government's educational policies that were geared toward improving the quality of the national human resource base.

“Instead of helping to promote government policies, TDC which is a government entity, is placing value on money instead of education,” he said.

The TDC, has requested 11 government establishments operating on its premises to vacate the place by May 31, this year.

The establishments include the Ghana Education Service, New Times Corporation, Rent Control, Land Title Registry, Judicial Service, and the Survey Department.

The rest are Department of Social Welfare, Department of Co-operatives, Statistical Service Department, Department of Culture and Community Development.

Numerous petitions by the establishments to stakeholders to intervene for the suspension of the exercise failed to yield any meaningful results.

 Five months after the expiration of the ejection order, some establishments, including the Department of Social Welfare and the Education Directorate are still struggling to get suitable alternative accommodation.