Teachers want policy on study leave reviewed

Wa (Upper West), 22nd June 99 ?

Teachers at a forum at Wa on Monday appealed to the Ghana Education Service (GES) to repeal the policy where teachers seeking study leave are asked to serve an extra year before it is granted.

The teachers said since the teachers would already have done their national service, there should be no impediment in their way to seeking higher education.

The teachers were reacting to an explanation by Mr Kusi-Atansah, head of organisation and administration of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), on the new policy at the forum where the Price WaterHouse Report and other matters affecting teachers were discussed.

Mr Kusi-Atansah said under the new study leave policy, teachers who want to go on study leave with pay would be required to serve for three years after the completion of their courses.

They will further be bonded to serve an additional year.

He appealed to the GES to modify the system of approving study leave with pay to teachers since this drastically affects the educational budget.

Mr Kusi-Atansah said that, for instance, if 15,000 teachers leave the classrooms annually for further studies, this will require another 15,000 teachers to fill the vacancies while it is the same budget that has to cater for the two categories of people.