12 absentee teachers in Agona District to be sanctioned

Agona Esusu, C/R, Sept. 13, GNA - Twelve teachers at Agona Oketsew District Assembly (DA) and Agona Esusu No. 1 Methodist Primary and Junior High School are to face the disciplinary committee of Ghana Education Service (GES) for absenting themselves from school on the re-opening day.

They are Mr Martin Ahiavor, Head teacher, Wonder Sakoe, Solomon Antwi, Isaac Atta Baah all of Esusu No. 1 Methodist Primary/Junior High. The rest are William Amediku, Benjamin Affreh, Daniel Arhin, Elizabeth Nuuro, Rosemond Acheampong, Jonathan Yankson, Richard Dogbe and Gifty Akwamoah all from Oketsew.

Mr Ben Mensah, District Chief Executive and Mrs Jane Chinebuah, District Director of Education for Agona, gave the order when they visited a number of schools to welcome class one pupils to herald "My First Day" at school on Tuesday.

At Oketsew, when the DCE and the GES Director arrived at the school at 08: 35 hours, only three of total 14 teachers were at school, while the 10 pupils who had come to school were playing football and other games.

Mr Festus Mensah, the Head teacher told the DCE and Education Director that the rest of the teachers had not reported following a request by the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) to the government to postpone the re-opening of the school to Tuesday, September 18.

He said he realised that some of the pupils had also been fed with that information and that he had to go from house to house, to inform the pupils that the government had not approved the GNAT request and that they were to report for school on Tuesday, September 11. The DCE urged the teachers to show commitment and love for their pupils to enable them to become useful citizens in the future saying: "When pupils perform creditably in examinations part of the credit goes to their school and teachers," he said.

Mrs Chinebuah warned that the GES would not hesitate to deal with teachers who would flout rules and regulations of the Service.

Some of the schools visited also included the Mankrong-Junction District Assembly (DA) Primary and Junior High School and Swedru DA (A and B) Primary and Junior High School. Ghana at 50 Anniversary drinking cups, biscuits, cocoa drink and caps were distributed to the school children.