By Naa Shormei Odonkor
Koforidua, May 15, GNA – Three teacher unions at the pre-tertiary level of education in the Eastern Region have organized their members and protested against the government for failing to respond to and address their allowance concerns.
The protest was sparked by the unions’ earlier threat to take action if the government failed to respond to their allowance concerns by May 13, 2024, and subsequent failure to address their concerns.
On Wednesday, members of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), National Association of Graduate Teachers, and the Coalition of Concern Teachers, Ghana, wore red T- shirts and carried placards with various messages as they marched through some streets.
Some inscriptions on their placards read, “Teachers are not Beggars”, “Fair Wages Should Be Fair To Our Allowances”, “Are Our Pension Funds Safe?”, “Treat Teachers With Decency”, “We Want Our Rewards on Earth”, and “We Are Also Public Servants.”
The participants, numbering more than 100 in the company of the police marched on while singing and displaying their placards to the public from the SIC building to the B. Foster traffic light, the central market, the municipal assembly then finally to the Eastern Regional Coor.
Mr. Kafui K. Kwame, the Deputy Eastern Regional GNAT Secretary who presented the petition to the Eastern Regional Coordinating Director, Mr. John Donkor, said government had up to May 31, 2024, to address teachers’ allowance concerns.
“We are giving the employer up to May 31, 2024, to address our concerns. Should the Employer fail to address our demands on or before May 31, 2024, then we will call on the leadership to take decisive action in the interest of members.”
Mr. Kwame mentioned that the allowances the unions had been battling over for the past 15 years numbered 17 but were reduced to four due to some considerations.
They included the Deprived Area Allowance, the Extra Assessment Allowance, the Book/Data/Online Teaching Support Allowance and the Upward Adjustment of the Continuing Professional Development Allowance.
Even so, the government was still adamant about either responding to or addressing the issue at hand by presenting representatives who were not capable of making any decision to favour teachers during negotiations.
Mr. Kwame said teachers played a pivotal role in achieving Ghana’s educational objective which was in line with Sustainable Development Goal Four (SDG 4).
Mr. John Donkor, who received the petition on behalf of the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr. Seth Acheampong, said the minister was engaged in an equally important event, therefore his absence from the office.
However, he noted that their petition would be attended to and concerns addressed duly.
Dr. Mrs. Ivy Asantewaa Owusu, the Eastern Regional Director of the Ghana Education Service applauded the teachers for their peaceful demonstration.
She also appealed to teachers not to desert the classrooms as the students depended on them to achieve excellence in education.
GNA