Teachers threaten boycott

The 2000-year batch of Certificate A Teachers in the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District, have threatened to embark on strike from this Thursday, unless their grievances are met by the Ghana Education Service (GES).

The teachers are demanding the immediate payment of all salary arrears due them, asking the GES to put them on their correct salary level (Level 10) and finally, a mass transfer of all 2000-year Certificate "A" Teachers, if the District Directorate cannot seek their welfare.

In a petition to the GES copied to the press, the Minster of Education and other relevant bodies, the teachers stated that they were given appointments as Cert 'A' teachers on 1 September 2000 and ever since, they have not been put on their correct salary level.

According to them, a letter dated 26 February 2002 was written to that effect to the Minister of Education, the Regional Director of Education, the District Chief Executive and to other appropriate quarters. "With reference to a press release by the GES in an Accra daily dated 20 March 2002, the GES assured us that we would be put on the correct scale by April 2002. "Unfortunately, the promise has not been honoured. We have realised that we are being deceived and fooled. It is also a deliberate attempt to impoverish us," the teachers stated.

They recalled the attitude and utterances of the Accountant, the Deputy District Director of Education and the Director of Education with regard to the issue and said that left much to be desired. "They have shown gross apathy. The District Deputy Director of Education, Mr Atta Baiden, has made it clear to us that they have important issues to attend to, than to work on our salary," the teachers lamented.

According to the teachers, the districts that share boundary with them are all on level 10. "It is about time the GES and the district directorate, in particular, become very serious with issues of these nature, especially at the time standard of education are falling drastically in the district," they noted.

They alleged that "the extortion of money from heads of schools and teachers before materials like chalk, syllabi, textbooks are supplied, give credence to this. "What is most worrying is that inspection of work and promotions are used as tools of victimization in the district."