Teachers say their leaders must leave office

March 24, 2011
Kumasi, March 24, GNA - A group of teachers drawn from Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo and Greater Accra regions on Wednesday staged a big protest march in Kumasi and demanded that their leaders must leave office.

They said the leadership of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) should cease further negotiations with the government on their behalf because they had completely lost confidence in them.

The aggrieved teachers said the leadership called an emergency national delegates conference to review the GNAT and NAGRAT Constitutions to allow for the election of new national officers.

They warned that if they failed to do this they would convene the meeting after 21 days, in line with their constitution, to get the associations dissolved.

Clad in red the demonstrators, held placards, which carried messages of their irritation and disappointment.

"We are fed up with you, GNAT and NAGRAT leaders", "We are disappointed in you", "You, are the cause of our woes" "NAGRAT and GNAT leaders are selfish" and "Show transparency in your work" were some of these messages.

They later converged at the Ashanti Regional Office of the Ghana Education Service (GES) and presented a petition through the Regional Director of Education, Mr Joseph K. Onyinah, to the national executives.

The petition among other things accused their leaders of incompetence, arrogance and being out of touch with members they claim to represent.

It said they found it shocking that while they wailed over the poor salaries under the SSSS, their leaders were defending "such chicken feed paid to teachers and even went ahead to thank the government."

They alleged that the national leaders had also not shown transparency in the financial management of the two associations as salaries and allowances they take as well as investment proceeds are shrouded in secrecy.

GNA