Trip to China turns into nightmare

Accra, Aug. 14, GNA - The relatives of eight teachers alleged to have been sent to China for teaching appointments said on Thursday that they had been given a raw deal by the Travel and Tour operators who arranged the trip but the operators denied the claims saying the arrangements were misunderstood.

Ms. Ernestina Abrokwah, owner of Litina Travel and Tours, the tour company, told the Ghana News Agency in Accra that those who took up the teaching appointments were duly informed about all the travel arrangements before departure and expressed surprise at the claims being made by their relatives.

Ms. Abrokwah was reacting to media reports that the teachers recruited for placement in schools in China in April this year had been cheated because some of them did not get the teaching appointments while those who had their appointments, had not been paid according what had been agreed in the deal.

She told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that because most of the schools in China were about to go on vacation, the teachers agreed to go on the trip to teach for one month and acclimatise while they waited for the schools to re-opening in September.

The tour operator denied that the company ever promised the teachers a monthly salary of 1,000 US dollars because the individual schools were to work out salaries.

Ms. Abrokwah explained that three out of the eight teachers, namely Mr Mac Gorni Attipoe, Charles Appiah-Korang and Evelyn Akowuah had initial problems with their appointments outside Beijing, but arrangements were being made to resolve the challenges for Mr Gorni and Miss Akowuah when school re-opened.

Monies had also been sent to Appiah-Korang who had opted to come back home for his return.

Ms. Abrokwah also stated that the company had arranged accommodation for the other five teachers who left recently for China to acclimatise while they also waited for the schools to re-open to start teaching.

Mr. Kingsley Amoabeng Kena, the husband of one of the victims who called at the offices of the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said he still stood by his story on difficulties being faced by the teachers in China and that the tour company was not being truthful to the public. He said Litina Travel and Tours Limited, an Accra-based tour agency, advertised in the Daily Graphic of April 20, 2007 inviting prospective Ghanaians for recruitment to teach English language in various Chinese educational institutions.

According to Mr Kena, the tour company collected 3,500 dollars each from the first three applicants while the rest were made to pay 4,000 dollars each for the trip which included the securing of visas and plane tickets.

He said the tour company also promised the would-be teachers free accommodation, secure teaching jobs, three meals a day, working and resident permits for one year and a salary of 1,000 US dollars a month. Mr Kena said because of the attractive nature of the package and the manner in which it was presented, most people were convinced to leave Ghana.

"Little did they know that all the media fanfare was to deceive and extort money from innocent and unsuspecting Ghanaians," he added. Mr Kena said his wife, Evenly Akowuah, a few days after the trip called home complaining that the promises made by the tour company had not been fulfilled.

Ms Akowuah, according to Mr Kena, had been receiving 400 dollars a month from which she paid rent, water, electricity and telephone bills contrary to the promise made by the tour company that they were going to receive 1,000 dollars in addition to free accommodation and utilities. Mr Kena said because of the persistent calls from his wife, he asked for a refund of the travel package but the tour operator had failed to honour a promised to refund 1,000 US dollars of the amount. According to the complainant, when the matter was reported to the Police, Ms Abrokwah refunded only 200 dollars.