Ghana’s pre-tertiary teacher unions are set to petition the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, next week.
They are demanding the retraction and an apology from the Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, for comments concerning the alleged use of forged WASSCE certificates in the recruitment of personnel into Ghana’s security services.
The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and the Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG) say the Interior Minister’s remarks unfairly cast aspersions on the integrity of the Ghana Education Service (GES) and its staff.
The controversy follows concerns raised by the Interior Minister over the recruitment of some personnel into Ghana’s security services.
Mr Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak is alleged to have stated that some newly recruited security personnel presented forged or fake WASSCE certificates during the recruitment process.
He is also reported to have questioned why individuals who allegedly used fraudulent certificates to secure employment in the security services did not use the same results to seek employment with the Ghana Education Service.
The comments have since triggered strong opposition from the country’s pre-tertiary teacher unions.
GNAT, NAGRAT and PRETAG argue that where individuals are found to have used fraudulent academic documents, the appropriate authorities should identify and sanction them rather than make statements that could be interpreted as questioning the credibility of the Ghana Education Service and its workforce.
The unions are therefore demanding a retraction of the remarks and an apology from the Interior Minister, saying this is necessary to protect the cordial industrial relations between government and the teaching fraternity.
The General Secretary of GNAT said the Interior Minister’s comments could be interpreted as implicating senior officials within the education sector and the government.
“What the Minister of Interior said is an indictment on his brother, the Minister of Education, the Director-General of GES and Her Excellency the Vice President. So, he should come out and apologise, or it will be presumed as government position on what he said.”»
President of NAGRAT, Jacob Anaba, has also urged the Interior Minister to focus on the individuals allegedly involved in the use of fraudulent certificates and take the necessary action against them, rather than criticising staff of the Ghana Education Service.
“He is the Minister of Interior and he upholds discipline, so the guys he said used fraudulent and forged documents, why didn’t he arrest them? He allowed them to go scot-free.”
Meanwhile, President of PRETAG, King Ali Awudu, has called for an immediate apology from the Interior Minister and cautioned that the unions could take action on the labour front if the matter is not resolved.
He also argued that the recruitment requirements for the Ghana Education Service differ from those of the security services.
“The Minister made a mistake. In the GES, we don’t recruit with WASSCE results. It is his sector, the security services, that recruit with WASSCE, but GES, the minimum requirement is a first degree.”
The teacher unions have consequently announced plans to petition the Education Minister next week to formally register their concerns and seek a resolution to the matter.
They have warned that failure to address their concerns could lead to further action, including possible industrial disturbances on the labour front.
By Daniel Opoku
