body-container-line-1

The Teachers As A Soft Target - An Open Letter To Prof. Stephen Adei (Part II)

Feature Article Prof. Stephen Adei
JAN 26, 2019 LISTEN
Prof. Stephen Adei

INTRODUCTION

On exactly 24th March, 2018, I authored an article dubbed "THE TEACHER AS A SOFT TARGET-AN OPEN LETTER TO PROFESSOR STEPHEN ADEI" in response to his [Professor Adei] generally vituperative and denigrative comment against teachers in this country. For the purpose of chronology of events, I have provided the link to that article below for your perusal. https://mobile.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/features/The-teacher-as-a-soft-target-A-letter-to-Professor-Stephen-Adei-637411

The same person has taken a swipe at teachers again. Prof., teachers in this country woke up yesterday, 24th January, to the direct invective from you, which could be quoted as "Ghanaian Basic School Teachers are PURE CRIMINALS".

According to you, Prof, teachers in the basic schools don't teach, yet they take salaries on monthly basis and on the account of that, they are "pure criminals". Again, "basic school teachers", according to you, Professor, are "pure criminals" because they seek admission for their children in the private schools.

ANALYSIS

Prof, admittedly there are some 'bad nuts' in the teaching and learning arena, like every other working space, but does that give you the justification to insult all "basic school teachers" in the manner you did? At least common decency should have dictated to you to choose your diction with a modicum of decorum, especially as a Professor and a Senior Citizen. If you had wanted to be honest with teachers, you could have simply said 'some teachers', in lieu of your generalization which ostensibly seeks to subject every teacher to international obloquy.

However, Prof., I think the gravamen of the problem eluded you. As per the dictates of the Supreme laws of the land, the policy makers/politicians are responsible for every policy in the country, yet they are the same people, some of whom have their children abroad schooling. How many of our politicians have their children in our public schools? Yet, they are the chief architects of our policies. Therefore, at best, you should have directed your effusions to those politicians even before the teachers.

Prof., from your constant unwarranted insults against teachers in this country, suffice it to infer that there is something to what we are seeing than meet the eye. However, be that as it may, we are pleading that speaking by heart is not honourable of a Professor, in terms of the Ghanaian psychy and the African standard. You always find expression in insulting teachers in general at the least chance without doing something pragmatic to help the situation. There is even no justification for all your claims until you elaborate. For instance, you averred that "basic school teachers" go to school, but they don't teach.

I mean how? I wonder how the teacher would go to the school and decide not to teach. Where is the headteacher then? If you talk about teacher absenteeism, that is fine, but to say the teacher goes to the school and decides not to teach is an issue you need to elaborate. The second part of your averment is that, teachers are "pure criminals" because their children are in the private schools. (SMH). Please which law says once you are a teacher you are under some obligations to, as a matter of law, take your child to the public school?. There is no such law so why do you single out the teacher?

Prof., in my first epistle to you, I said a lot. Let me quote this excerpt from my first open letter to you, "Now the question is, you have risen through the ranks, thread the eye of the needle and have become a Professor, what research paper have you published to heal the woes of the education sector? Or you are a Professor who simply talks by heart (with all due respect)? Have you ever challenged any government to supply appropriate and relevant TLMs on time? Have you ever championed a crusade against any government to see to the welfare of teachers in deprived communities? Have you ever tasked any government to prioritize the provision of TMLs over lesson notes (though most teachers prepare the lesson notes, but don't use in teaching)?.

Have you ever championed any sensitization programme on the need for education for parents and students to be well informed? Professor Adei, there are/were people of your calibre in this country who used and are using their acquired knowledge to help the development of this country in varied ways. Some have propounded meaningful theories, axioms, approaches and methodologies. Let me just mention two of them for my readers since you know all of them. One of them was the Good Old Late Professor Francis Allotey. He did a lot of marvelous things with his Mathematics and Science knowledge. He propounded the Allotey Formalism. A theory on Soft X-Ray Spectrocopy. He won an expensive award for that in abroad. Professor Allotey first introduced computer education in Ghana and a lot of things.

The second person is Dr. Konotey Ahulu. He also did wonderful things with his knowledge. He researched into Clinical Haemoglobinopathy and, together with Professors Bela Ringelhann (Hungary), Hermann Lehmann (University of Cambridge), and others he discovered Haemoglobin Korle-Bu and Haemoglobin Osu-Christiansborg. He was also the director of the largest clinic in the world dealing with sickle-cell disease and a lot of things. Professor Adei, do you see the difference now? Life is not about shouting from the roof top, it is actually about doing something to heal social woes and your friends in the same arena have outclassed you".

CONCLUSION

Prof., please save sometime to research into the problems in the GES and publish it. That way, you are putting your professorial prowess to good use, instead of making wild and invective statements without a modicum of real facts and figures against all teachers in this country.

Thank you.

© OSUMANU ABUBAKAR (2019)

© ARTICLE WRITER/SOCIAL COMMENTATOR

© W.B.M.Z.S.H.S.

© 0242782515

body-container-line