NAGRAT accuses GES of hounding teachers

The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) is accusing the Ghana Education Service (GES) of deliberately formulating “drastic” measures to worsen the plight of teachers in the country.

“The Ghana Education Service over a year or two now is embarking on policies that are so teacher-unfriendly.”

The Association said in most cases the Service takes decisions on impulse without any background investigation.

These sentiments were expressed on behalf of the Association by its National President, Christian Addai-Poku, in an interview with TV3’s Daniel Opoku on Wednesday, October 8.

Mr Addai-Poku was reacting to a recent decision by the Controller and Accountant General’s Department to suspend salaries of teachers operating joint bank accounts.

NAGRAT’s President insisted that those banks were rural banks most of the teachers were directed by district directors of education to open.

“If [the Accountant General] think that they no longer consider rural banks as banks in Ghana, let us know and let us take steps to migrate all those teachers to banks they consider better,” he said.

The over 15,000 teachers whose salaries have been suspended have up to October 15 to furnish the Department with details to have the decision reversed.

But NAGRAT says it does not trust the Department.

“They have always given us dates they have never fulfilled,” Mr Addai-Poku said, accusing GES of being behind the move.

“We are asking GES, as a matter of urgency, to make sure that these teachers are paid by the end of October.”