Maltreatment of Ghanaian teachers by GES, endangering SDG4 in Ghana-CSOs

The Ghana Education’s continuous lack of efficiency and effectiveness with training programs for teachers has the potency to negatively impact Ghana’s ability to attain SDG4. Continuously, the service has failed to meet quality standards whenever efforts are made to train teachers.

Civil Society Organizations in Ghana are worried by the continuous “no show” and ill-planned training programs for teachers and the maltreatment of Ghanaian teachers by the GES at such programs. It looks as though the GES does not factor teacher comfort, service quality and respect for the Ghanaian teachers who are professionals. Programs and trainings are scheduled for them without putting in place the need plans, teams and strategies to ensure teachers are well catered for, motivated, resourced and encouraged to respond positively to such planned programs.

The recent high level of incompetence that led to teachers’ agitation at the training organized for second cycle school teachers is a great concern to CSO’s. Media outlets reports on all manner of alleged inhumane treatments meted out to teachers by GES whenever they are invited for training workshops is an inditement on teachers in Ghana.

Maltreatment of Ghanaian teachers has serious implications on teacher morale and dedication to duty which can affect their delivery in the classrooms and also the performance of the first batch of students of the Free SHS who are to seat for the 2020 WASSCE in May-June this year.

A free release by The CSOs Platform on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),  copied to newsghana24 on this is attached below.

It reads…

ALSO READ: 5 critical CORE COMPETENCIES that GES, MoE also need from new curriculum

Ghana Education Service (GES) continues maltreatment of Ghanaian teachers at training workshops has the potency of compromising the attainment of SDG4 in Ghana.

The CSOs Platform on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Sub-Platform 4 (SDG4) is deeply worried about recent reports emanating from various media outlets of alleged inhumane treatments meted out to teachers by GES whenever they are invited for training workshops.

The reported cases of unfair treatments meted out to Ghanaian teachers at such training programs are becoming one too many. We recall with sadness how Ghanaian teachers were treated at a workshop organized by the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the National Council for Curriculum Assessment (NaCCA) in 2019, a workshop meant to train teachers on the new school curriculum. During the training, teachers were not fed well, their TxT expenses and sitting allowances were nothing to write home about, a situation which was condemned by majority of Ghanaians especially players in the educational sector.

ALSO READ: JUST IN: 2019/2020 GES Approved Subjects for Study Leave with Pay

Barely few days ago, Form 3 Core Subject teachers, numbering over 200 from Greater Accra, Oti and Volta Regions who were brought to University of Ghana for a four-day in-service training on how to adequately equip students ahead of the 2020 West African Schools Certificate Examination (WASSCE) were left stranded for hours before the training commenced, a situation which again led credence to the alleged neglect and maltreatment of teachers by officials of the GES.

It is becoming increasingly difficult to understand why teachers’ welfare does not really matter to those mandated to promote and protect same. The frustrations teachers have to go through at workshops in recent times due to improper planning on the part of GES is unacceptable and must not be allowed to continue.

Our question to GES is how do you expect an angry teacher to teach students for good learning outcomes? Truth be told, the attainment of SDG4 in Ghana is being threatened by the continues maltreatment of Ghanaian teachers by people in positions of trust and the earlier we reverse this situation, the better for all of us.

ALSO READ: GES orders Issuance of Assurance and Release Letters

As CSOs advocating for inclusive, accessible and quality education for all, we are respectfully calling on the Director General of the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Minister of Education to investigate the troubling issues surrounding the unfortunate happenings whenever there is training for Ghanaian teachers to avert future occurrences.

Issued by: Communication Directorate, SDG4.

For Interviews Contact:

Mrs. Joyce Larnyo
(Convener, SDG4)
0200221014

Mr. Peter Bismark
(ILAPI)
0244169361

Cc:
1. Minister of Education, Accra-Ghana

2. Director General of Ghana Education Service (GES)

3. Director of Public Relations, GES

4. Advisor to the President on the SDGs, Jubilee House, Accra

5. All Media Houses