The Unhappy Newly Trained Teachers And The Confused Policy Makers(s)

You seem not to understand us very well. When we agitate, you will think it is an influence from others. In 2018, you unveiled a policy that allows trained teachers to wait for two years after completing training in the colleges of education before getting employed. The rule, hitherto its implementation, was not the norm until your unceremonious practice of replacing the old way of doing things.

Somebody, as part of your plans to cut economic cost, trained teachers are required to wait for about two years due to this new rule before they are assigned into GES. This policy is generally interpreted as allowing trainees to first write a license exam and carry out a one-year compulsory national service before getting posted.

While the University graduates are ushered into national service immediately after completion, the trained teachers are required to wait for their results, register for the license exam, and go through curriculum workshop training before they are posted. This in no doubt creates unnecessary tension and delays for these trained teachers who have successfully completed the teacher education program.

This rule is your third major surprise introduction to the system in less than a year without prior notification to the newly trained teachers who are then caught in surprise. Just lately, the 2018 batch of teachers were informed that their service would be terminated in August, to allow the GES to post them in September. Some few weeks after the announcement, comments from GES officials emphasized that your administration which grievously lambasted others when they were in power against the cancellation of the trainees allowance, has worst initiatives than the others. While both the license exam and national service were challenged by the unhappy trained teachers, your administration failed to notice that such a quick introduction of new rules was a dictator's manner of doing things. Somebody has made a cracking down on all the smoothness in teacher education a hallmark. This he has done after accusing the others of making teacher trainees’ life a hell.

In 2018, the administration made a promise to freshly graduated trainees that after writing the license exam, the government would post them. This promise, so far unfulfilled, was followed by a national service. The newly trained teachers, thinking they would end their service somewhere in November, were glad to hear an announcement by the sector minister and officials at the ministry that, their service was coming to an abrupt end in September to facilitate their employment postings in the said month.

Somebody, it is clear that you are looking for strategies to keep the newly trained teachers at the bay of employment for your own economic reason. Others counter that you are using series of creative initiatives to unnecessarily delay postings to cover a possible free SHS induced indebtedness.

With this level of political wizardry, the education sector may likely suffer negative symptoms. It has become clear that the Ghanaian teacher is dissatisfied with their working conditions as they have often been disrespected.

You should know by now that, the intrinsic motivation that made the newly trained teacher to join this profession would slip when they are faced with policies where they have to wait for several months to get assigned within GES especially in a country where teacher motivation is virtually non- existent.

Somebody, as we prepare anxiously for 2020, referring to the year that gives our thumb, a voice louder than our mouths. It hasn’t been my intention to make this letter public. In fact, I wish I had made it extremely private and confidential to you.

However, I have been finding it very difficult to address this letter to a particular somebody. Which is why, I chose the heading above.

For many ardent lovers of stage acts and performances, this heading will strike a chord of imagination, a chord of thoughts and remembrance too. Alas! As in a line of Shakespeare’s works, you will quiz and you shall ponder over the heading as much as you desire, until you arrive at a conclusion that, this heading is similar to what you have heard in the past.

Yes! Your guess is as good as mine. The famous Uncle Ebo Whyte once directed a stage drama titled, “Unhappy wives and confused husbands.” Utilizing his title in this situation will not fall below par, especially when an individual’s confused thoughts would lead to confused actions which cause another person’s unhappy state.

What other heading would have been more appropriate?

Sincerely yours,
Nasrullah Ibn Mutawakil,
Teacher Trainees Association of Ghana,
National PRM hopeful.