V/R NAGRAT members stay home

Ho, Nov. 10, GNA - Members of the Volta Regional Branch of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), on Friday resolved not to go back to the classroom against the directive from the national leadership.

The members stated this at an emergency meeting organized by the regional secretariat in Ho to explain the Fast Track Court ruling to them.

The frenzied teachers declined the advice of their Regional Chairman to comply with the directive from the national leadership and stated their disinclination to go back.

In a five-point resolution adopted, the teachers stated among other things that until the government recognized teachers as "a huge asset in its human resource development and reward them duly" they would not return to the classroom.

They said considering the contemptuous and arrogant manner in which the Ghana Education Service (GES) reacted to the strike action vis-=E0-vis the legitimate grievances raised, they would remain at home until the frozen salaries of all teachers were de-frozen and a qualified apology rendered to the affected teachers.

The teachers also asked the government to resolve all the outstanding grievances captured by the memorandum of understanding including the replacement of Mr Michael Nsowah, Acting Director General of the GES.

The teachers who took turns to give reports about the situations in their various districts said some students had already started laughing at them. "They say we have no option than to return to the classroom after our salaries have been frozen".

Earlier, Mr Dan Yorgbe, Volta Regional Chairman of NAGRAT explained the court ruling to the members and urged them to comply with the directive from the national leadership and obey the court ruling.

"We, as leaders, stand to be found in contempt of court if we flout the ruling of the court and the implications are various and severe", he said.

He said since the leaders would not want to impose unnecessary hardship on their followers, they were calling on all members to abide by the court ruling and return to the classroom. Meanwhile, information gathered by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) has it that members of the Association at Hohoe were holding a demonstration alongside the meeting to press home their demand for the October salaries and the removal of the Acting Director General.