Teacher Kwadwo: Teacher Unions In Ghana Are “Useless”
Dismissed teacher, Michael Owusu Afriyie popularly known as Teacher Kwadwo has branded teacher unions in Ghana as “useless” and “thieves”.
His comment comes as three teacher unions including the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers Ghana (CCT-Gh) continue their strike action.
The unions began their strike on Friday, November 4, in protest against the appointment of a “banker” as the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES).
Since the appointment of Dr Eric Nkansah as the GES boss, the three teacher unions have registered their displeasure and called for the revocation of his appointment.
According to NAGRAT, Dr Nkansah is “not a teacher. He is a banking officer who was a special assistant in the office of the Minister and has been appointed as the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service. We are not happy with this development.”
GNAT on the other hand has described his appointment as “unfortunate and untenable”.
“Council found the replacement of Prof. Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa with Dr Eric Nkansah, the Banker, as both unfortunate and untenable. In the circumstance, therefore, Council calls for the revocation and subsequent appointment of an Educationist to occupy that office, by 4th November 2022,” a communiqué issued by GNAT at the end of the 2022 mandatory National Council Meeting said.
The leadership of CCT-Gh has also made a similar call.
The former teacher whose dismissal last year was linked to “insubordination”, finds this action of the teacher unions out of place.
In his words, “The TEACHER UNIONS in Ghana are all USÈLESS!!! Very Very USELÈSS!!!. Tell me one important thing they do for Teachers. They are never with the TEACHERS! Akrɔnfoɔ!!!”
He posted this on his Facebook page on Monday.
The All Teachers Alliance Ghana (ATAG) has also fiercely criticised the strike action as a misplaced priority.
In a press statement on November 3 ahead of the strike, ATAG said there are more pressing needs of teachers over which the three unions must protest than the appointment of the D-G.
Teacher Kwadwo who was a Basic 4 teacher at Akrofuom D/A Primary school was handed a termination letter on December 17 for absenting himself from school for 55 days, failing to prepare and submit his lesson notes, and failing to respond to queries served by the Headmaster and the School Support Officer, as evidence his gross insubordination.
However, he has linked his dismissal to his frequent backlash at the government and the GES for respectively neglecting public basic schools and poorly treating teachers.
Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini
