Teachers demand their reward on earth not in heaven

Tema, May 10, GNA - Teachers in Tema on Tuesday called on the government to make positive efforts to give better and attractive pension scheme to all teachers to enable them retire with hope. They said the assertion that teachers have their reward in heaven does not apply to the present day economic conditions and so are demanding their reward here on earth before they go to heaven.

The teachers, who made the call at the Second Quadrennial Delegates' Conference of the Tema branch of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) at Tema, therefore, called on the government to restore them to the CAP 30, which is more beneficial than the SSNIT Pension scheme, which they described as demoralising. They, therefore, called on the government to release the report on the pension scheme investigated by a committee for public perusal to enable them take a decision.

Addressing the conference, observed under the theme; "Better Pension for Retention of Teachers", Mr Karl Marx Kewsi Ghansah, a lecturer of University of Cape Coast and an Education Consultant urged teachers to continue to agitate for appreciable response from their employer.

Mr Ghansah said the promulgation of SMC Decree eight of 1975 marked the beginning of discrimination against the broad spectrum of public servants when public serving officers were required to opt for either the government pension of SSNIT scheme of which the former is superior.

In her report, Ms Christina Mensah, Tema Teachers' Welfare Officer noted that poor remuneration; unattractive conditions of service and discrimination against teachers compel them to abandon their jobs to seek greener pastures outside the country.

She entreated the government to make moves to better teachers' conditions of service else profession would suffer in future. Mr George Avorglia, Headmaster of Chemu Secondary School asked Graduate Teachers Association (NAGRAT) and the GNAT to ensure that they are placed under one umbrella to ensure efficiency.

Mr Robert Addotey, Secretary of the GNAT said through their contributions they have acquired about 499 plots of land for allocation to teachers and have achieved a lot to improve their welfare.