Students reject teaching as profession

Nkwantanang (E/R), March 02, GNA - Teachers from the Nkwantanang Methodist Junior High School in the Kwaebibirim District were surprised when the students rejected teaching when asked to choose the profession they would like to go into in future. The Member of Parliament for the area, Mr Ofosu Asamoah, who had visited the school to make a donation, asked the students how many of them wanted to be lawyers and about 50 percent of them raised their hands.

When he asked how many of them wanted to go into politics, almost 80 percent of them raised their hands but when he asked those who wanted to go into teaching, not a single student raised his hand. The teachers, who had gathered at the function, were surprised to see the children preferring other professions to the noble teaching profession.

Some of the children who spoke to Ghana News Agency explained that they preferred other professions to teaching because they saw the condition of teachers in terms of salary and allowances as nothing to right home about compared to those in law, accounting, politics, journalism and others.

They said some of their teachers always advised them to study hard to become lawyers, accountants, journalists and others without mentioning teaching.

Mr Eugene Baah Adinkrah, Community Participation Coordinator at the Kwaebibirim District Education Office, expressed shock at what he saw and said the negative impression the students had about the teaching profession should be laid at the doorsteps of the teachers. He said sometimes comments make by some of their colleagues about teaching left much to be desired and advised them to respect the profession.

Mr Adinkrah said teachers' salaries were better than some public and civil servants in the country but they do not complain the way teachers do.