Prof. Stephen Adei is becoming a thorn in our flesh - GNAT

The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has described as offensive, constant attacks on Teachers in the country by Professor Emeritus of the Ashesi University Professor Stephen Adei.

A statement signed by the Association’s General Secretary Thomas T. Musah said “We wish to stress that this is not the first time Professor Adei has turned his radar on our teachers. Knowing Professor Adei for who he is, we deem his call for the 50 per cent reduction of salaries of teachers as an attempt to instigate the greater society against teachers and cause disaffection for them.

Teachers are not the cause of the Coronavirus and all the challenges it has brought in its trail; like all other segments of society, teachers are victims of circumstances, and must not be punished by a phenomenon they did not originate, as the garrulous Professor seeks to do”.

Professor Stephen Adei is reported to have proposed that teachers must be ready to forgo 50% of their salaries if they want to continue staying at home due to the closure of schools as a result of the outbreak of COVID-19.

According to him, aside from the teachers writing a letter to protest the reopening of schools in the next few days, they should have offered to let go half of their salaries for some months as their contributions to the efforts at containing the virus.

The position of the retired educationist has however provoked teachers who say the comments of the learned professor is just one of his many disparaging and unacceptable attacks on teachers in the country.

“We hereby reiterate, that as professionals, teachers are not above criticism. However, when someone consistently subjects teachers to insults and ridicule, berate and set us up for attacks and create disaffection for us, as does Professor Adei, constantly on the electronic and social media platforms, then we have no option than to defend ourselves and safeguard our reputation.

We wish to state that we won’t accept any repugnant and offensive expressions on our persons or families” the statement said.

They added that “We shall continue to accept constructive, and morale-boosting criticisms and not reprehensible, offensive and degrading ones. Let all know that we take exception to verbal attacks, and any pronouncements or policies meant to denigrate our persons or the teaching profession.”

The Teacher Association further stated that they are ready to return to schools to teach if government puts in good measures that will offer sufficient protection to both students and teachers adding that “We want to tell Professor Adei and all who think like him, that it isn’t teachers who called for the schools to shut, and can therefore not be made to suffer the 50 per cent drop in their salaries, the period the shut remains in place.

We are happy the Ministry of Education has told the Professor Emeritus of Ashesi University, Chairman of the NDPC, and Chief Executive of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), that teachers have not said they are unwilling to return to the classrooms to teach.”