A/R: More teachers abandon classrooms to engage in political campaigns

The National Peace Council says it is alarmed by the practice conduct of some teachers in the Ashanti Region who abandon the classroom to engage political activity.

The council says it has information some teachers use student contact hours for radio discussion and some, instances, extend the conversation to the classroom.

The council’s concern is part of signs picked by the Regional Election Early Warning and Response Group ahead of next month’s general elections.

Officials say they have received reports of both basic and second -cycle schools involved in the practice of sacrificing academic work for political campaigning.

The council warns it may be forced to drag some identified culprits to appropriate authorities for sanctions for violating the Political Parties Law after it received several reports on the conduct of the teachers.

“It is very serious when you look at what is happening even in Ashanti region. We are in Ashanti region, some people can even use more than one hour talk about politics. We have really identified many of them [teachers]. We have received complaints about some teachers who are using contact hours to do studio discussions on certain radio programmes and further return to classrooms to brain wash their students,” says Secretary of the Ashanti regional Peace Council, Rev Father George Gyasi Adjei.

Section 26 of Act 574 requires neutrality of public office holders in political activities.

Rev Father George Gyasi Adjei says the council may be forced to drag the affected teachers before authorities for redress.

“If they continue doing that, as our advisory role, we think that we would take them to the right quarters so that the law would deal with them,” he warned.

The peace council is also unhappy about the conduct of some ‘men’ of God and traditional rulers who are actively involved in politics and making all manner of prediction.

It describes as embarrassment clashes between political party opponents and ethnocentric comments by some leading politicians.

“Traditional leaders and the clergy wield a lot of influence and reverence because Ghanaian traditions and culture acknowledges and exalts them as symbols of unity and peace. Furthermore, the 1992 Ghanaian Republican constitution barred them from such acts.

The National Peace Council, Ashanti region wish to counsel such Men of God and our respected traditional rulers to desist from such acts because it’s harmful”.