Be grateful to teachers

There have been calls by civil society organisations both internally and externally to reward teachers while they are on earth. 

The Ghanaian teacher, over the years, has been treated poorly by authorities, making all look down on the teaching profession.

Teachers' conditions of service clearly spell out the number of years a teacher must serve on one rank before being promoted.

When a teacher struggles and reaches the Deputy Director rank, the Ghana Education Service (GES) keeps them on the rank longer than the stipulated four years spelt out in teachers’ condition of service.  

The excuse is that the offices are full and there is nowhere to post them.

Who says the director rank is compulsorily made for people to only be in offices?

What do directors in offices “direct” that cannot be “directed” in the classrooms? 

I think with their vast knowledge and teaching experience, directors can also be kept in classrooms to bring their experiences to the limelight.

Teachers have contributed immensely towards the success of every educational policy over the years.

The Free Senior High School is an example of a policy teachers worked at to ensure it succeeded.

Without teachers, any educational policy will fail. What then is our reward?

I urge the GES to, as a matter of urgency, call all teachers marking time for an interview, promote them and let them enjoy salary of directors before they retire.

The decision to keep teachers on the rank of Deputy Director for long is a contributory factor to teacher impoverishment. Some teachers go on pension without being promoted to the rank of Director.

If keeping them in offices is the main objective, then the GES must either promote them as a sign of showing gratitude for serving their nation or create sub-educational offices in suburbs of towns to keep these categories of teachers.

As I speak, a countless number of teachers are still waiting for GES to call them for an interview.

These teachers are not asking for favours, but are asking genuinely for what is their due. Show gratitude to teachers while they are in service.

If they are not in offices, they must be in the classrooms still contributing their vast knowledge to the betterment of mother Ghana.

Ironically, our teacher unions sit aloof, with all these challenges.

I call on the GES, the Ghana Education Council, etc., and the government to intervene and roll back all the wasted years that most teachers have spent as Deputy Directors.

Sowah Semanu Manasseh,
Social Commentator,
Broadway Online Centre, Somanya.
E-mail: sowamanas@gmail.com;