The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has advised heads of schools, teachers to henceforth desist from pre-financing the running of schools from their own resources.
It said their patriotic and benevolent move of keeping the schools they head to continue to run would be “misinterpreted by the Ghana Education Service (GES) and awarded with shame, suspension, and interdiction, as has happened to Dr (Mrs) Shine Agatha Ofori, Headmistress of West Africa Senior High School (WASS) and her colleagues.”
GNAT in a statement issued in Accra yesterday and signed by the General Secretary, Thomas T. Musah, and copied to the Ghanaian Times, in response to the GES interdiction of the Dr (Mrs) Shine Agatha Ofori, Headmistress of West Africa SHS, for unauthorised collection of money from students, said it was worried about the way GES was embarrassing head teachers who were struggling to run the schools they head due to the failure of GES to release money for that purpose.
GNAT in the statement said GES in letter circulating on social media, dated July 19, 2023, and signed by Cassandra Twum Ampofo, Head, Public Relations Unit of the GES, claimed that the Management of GES had interdicted Dr (Mrs) Agatha consequently, she should handover the administration of the school to the Regional Director of Education, pending final determination of the case by the Regional Disciplinary Committee.
It said the continuous interdiction of head teachers, was bringing the personalities of school heads and teachers, and their skills and competencies into question, disrepute, and opprobrium.
“Once again, the GES, has gone into the overdrive, and is at its usual sinister best, seeking to cover its own shortcomings of not addressing the numerous challenges facing the smooth running of the public basic and secondary schools,” the statement said.
It said few months ago, it was Tema Senior High School; days later it was Aburi Girls and Achimota, and hours later Tamale Senior High and Fijai, and now WASS.
“Indeed, we are amazed, that the vogue now is the GES interdicting public school heads of unauthorised collection of money from students, which in many instances, turn out to be false and subjecting them to psychological trauma, moral turpitude and impugning their reputation,” the statement said.
The GNAT told that “enough is enough! we are fed up, and the earlier GES stopped embarrassing school heads, teachers, and all other staff in the sector, the better it would be for all of us.”
The GNAT said it would work to protect the image and interest of teachers, saying “to Dr (Mrs) Shine Agatha Ofori and all who have suffered similar fate, we say “we are with you in spirit and solidarity.”
BY TIMES REPORTER
