Private School Teachers bemoan their plight

Some private school teachers in the Bawku West District of Upper East Region are complaining about their predicament of having to forfeit work due to the closure of basic schools.

Describing the situation as 'loss of jobs', they said life had become difficult to a point that they could no longer afford three-square meals a day.

As part of measures to control the spread of the COVID-19 disease, Government has extended the closure of basic schools to January next year, so many private school teachers will remain paid until then.

Speaking in an interview with Ghana News Agency at Zebilla, Mr Gabriel Atibilla Awintumiya, a teacher at Bots Memorial Junior High School, said prior to the lockdown of schools, his monthly wage was the only income sustaining him as well as his family.

He said although he was re-engaged following the return of the final year students who were back to school to undertake their final examination, his pay was no more anything to write home about.

"Bots Memorial has only 27 students in the final year, and our salaries are dependent on the school fees they pay, so imagine how much will you get from 27 students to be able to pay about eight teaching staff."

"Even with the 27 students, not all of them have been able to pay their fees and you can't sack them to go home, they have to undertake their exams. So we are only sacrificing," he added.

Mr Awintumiya said he sometimes engaged in manual labour, working at building sites in order to earn some money for his daily bread.

Madam Mary Awini, a teacher at the Nabvedam International Academy, described her situation as 'miserable' because the welfare of her two little children depended on her.

She said her monthly pay was not much, hence she could not save enough money to start a business of her own as she wished she could have done, to support her family.

Mr Moses Ndiiba, a teacher at Shalom International School and a Nursing Training student, expressed worry about how he would pay his school fees when they eventually resume.

"I was schooling alongside helping with the teaching work, because that was the only way I could support myself and pay my fees but now things are difficult."

Mr Ndiiba called on government to help them by providing them with a stimulus package to alleviate their struggle to survive through the hard times.