I can’t hold onto my silence any longer about this selfish attitude of some so-called “authorities” responsible for the welfare of teachers most especially Teacher Trainees. From the genesis to revelation that lead to the formation of the first teacher union in Ghana called the Ghana National Association of Teachers and other sprouting teacher unions and, there have not been any proper scheme and better condition of service in place for the Ghanaian teacher.
The closest this country has come to better the condition of teachers was the formation of the Erzuah Committee in 1951. After that, there have been several reforms and policies to boost the educational system at the expense of the major stakeholder, the teacher. Yesterday was exactly 35years since junior secondary school was introduced but the question is, what impact has it contributed to the lives of teachers?
I almost thought I was teaching history here. I decided to touch on the above history for us to know how far we have come as a country in handling the Potter(teacher) of beautiful and sparkling pots(lawyers, doctors, engineers, bankers, presidents, politicians etc.) Several associations and bodies interested in the conditions and services of teacher play their part when the need arises, interestingly teachers have the most association and organizations in this country but yet still our cries fall on deaf ears.
We were in this country when free SHS was introduced but never started with the continuing students, we were in this country when the double track system never commenced with the continuing students, we were in this country when degree programs were introduced in colleges of education but has to be started with the fresh students. Why then must a new policy be applicable to graduates, I mean graduates who were forced to write an examination without much orientation.
“If it must be done, and it’s not done then it’s not done and if it’s not done and we are not done then we are done.” Teacher Trainees who are supposed to be called newly trained are still marking time and still sucking their Mother’s breast due to several reasons not given and known. Anyone who allergies must prove. I was at the Ghana Education Service headquarters, Accra to find out about our postings, without fear nor favour I was told that they(GES) do not know whether they will post us or not and they aren’t even sure whether we shall undergo National Service or not. Let’s not forget so soon that the teachers posted last year were denied a promise of been given allowance on the excuse that they were almost out of the system therefore it will be very difficult to accumulate their data for the process but the simple question here is that we the newly trained teachers of about 60,000 who were already out of college before the famous licensure examination was introduced, it will be easy to collate our data for National Service at this eleventh hour? Does that mean that there are no structures in place to be followed but the archaic “try and error method.”
It seems like teacher trainees have no one to lean on and pour out their plights. Several communique has been issued from the secretariat of the Association of Teacher Trainees informing the teacher about the assurance given to them by the minister of Education about their smooth postings process right after completion but I think he might have forgotten and needs to be reminded.
At this very juncture, a friend once said, the only voice governments of the day listen to is a demonstration but I feel that has become a cliché because demonstrations now are ways of shutting down your plights to further notice full of commentary and promises but no solutions.
I will end here for now by saying that, a country which develops its youth and their education develops beyond aid.
“UBUNTU NGUMUNTU NGABANYE ABANTU.”
By: Atitsogbui Francis Doe.
Volta Regional President for the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS)
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