President of the Coalition of Concerned Teachers, Ghana, (CCT-GH), King Ali Awudu, has indicated that although Ghanaian teachers are fulfilled, they are not happy.
He says teachers are fulfilled for imparting knowledge unto future generations, especially after seeing their students climb up the ladder of life.
However, Mr. Awudu says their conditions of service are so poor that it is not making the profession attractive at all.
Speaking on Hot Issues on TV3 Sunday, April 07, 2024, the man with 19 years teaching experience stated that teachers’ remuneration is so poor that despite them having a job, it is still difficult to provide bread and butter with their salaries.
“The other aspect where we are remunerated and paid so that we can put bread and butter on the table is the biggest problem and that’s what we’ve been fighting for all this while,” he said.
“Teachers all over this country are underpaid. Currently in Ghana Education Service, the minimum requirement to enter into the teaching service is first degree so we are talking about graduates all out. As we speak, GES remain the largest institution in this country with the highest number of professionals or graduates,” Mr. Awudu added.
He also highlighted on other poor conditions including the teaching environment which is hampering the smooth delivery of their service.
“There are some areas in this country, you go to the school setting and environment and you’re astonished as a Ghanaian if these settings should even qualify to be a classroom in the first place. Then you’ll see a teacher there teaching without any extra remuneration,” he told host, Keminni Amanor.
Three pre-tertiary teacher unions who recently went on strike over their conditions of service called off their action.
The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers Ghana (CCT-GH) declared an industrial strike over what they described as poor conditions of service.
They attributed the move to the failure of the Ministry of Education and its implementing agency, the Ghana Education Service (GES) to put in place better conditions of service.
Issues highlighted by the teachers were the absence of an appropriate Scheme of Service and a Collective Agreement, rampant changes in school calendar without recourse to the teachers, inefficient distribution of laptops and blockage of some teachers’ salaries by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
Following the announcement, both the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) and the National Labour Commission (NLC) critiqued the move and urged the teachers to go back to the negotiating table.
In a statement issued Tuesday, April 02, 2024, King Ali Awudu, President of the Coalition of Concerned Teachers, Ghana, intimated the importance for their employers to swiftly address their concerns of the unions.
“As law abiding citizens and having respect for the court, we hereby declare the strike that was called on 20th March 2024 off. We ask all our members and teachers of pre-tertiary education in this country to resume work with immediate effect,” he said.
“We continue to ask the employer led by the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations to commence negotiations this afternoon, today April 2 2024. So we can expedite the negotiations and come to a conclusion to forestall any other happenings in the future,” he added.
