If anyone can read and understand this piece, then all credit must go to the Teacher who imparted this ability into the person. It is therefore appropriate for the Teaching professionals to espouse the slogan “All the professionals may boast, but the Teacher taught them all”. Conspicuously, Teachers have called off their industrial action that seeks to press home their demands from the government. The issue many are quizzing is that, do these professionals have a genuine concern in their industrial action? At the end of this write up, readers will be better placed to make reasonable judgment.
To commence the argument of the merits of the soundness of Teachers strike action, we must all admit and know for a fact that, Teachers constituted majority of the working force in the country and are therefore providing essential service to both rural and urban folks alike. It is only natural according to Labour experts, by the Single Spine Pay Policy; Teachers market premium will be low as compare to other professions that are in short supply in the country. This may be the reason for Teachers languishing at the bottom of the ladder after the introduction of the SSSS causing them to make gratuitous comparison here and there.
That not withstanding, Teachers in Ghana deserve very reputable cachet than the rudimentary stigmatization they are being taking through in this country. People generally have very disgusting and deplorable mentality towards the Teaching profession without taking cognizance to the facts on the ground. Teachers are the poorest among workers of all government institutions as opined by the President of one of the Teachers Unions (NAGRAT). Corruption is the most ruthless hindrance to the development of Ghana and if all other institutions could come clean as Teachers, more than half of Ghana’s problems would have been cheerful in the annals of our history.
This impoverish nature of Teachers and Teaching profession made people to call them names anytime they embark on a legally guaranteed action to demand fair treatment from government. For instance, Lawyer David Annan was heard on radio disgorging diatribe on the striking Teachers asking them to quit the job if they feel their pay is not enough citing instances in other countries where employees do not dictate how much they should be paid. This legal luminary may be right in his own judgment but may not necessarily represent the truth of the matter. It’s a source of worry if learned men talk this way with so much uppity and disdain in a democratic world. What will the ordinary man on the street of Yamoransah also say?
Needless to say, if the Teaching profession were so attractive and fascinating, will many professional Teachers leave to seek better and well paid salary jobs and other incentives elsewhere? How many professionals leave their professions to come to the Teaching profession? If people like David Annan dare Teachers to leave because they are suffocating, then the Teaching profession is perpetually going to lack experience expertise and the repertoire to convey the needed knowledge which perennially will be in deficit creating some level of lackluster in the educational sector.
Suffice herein is another argument by the general public about the number of hours teachers spend in the classroom and how effective the time is judiciously used. Like any other institution, Teaching has limited hours which is scheduled to meet the GES’s requirements to the benefit of the students or pupil. There is no worker in Ghana who is always on the run without a space of time for other activities. Teachers apart from the classroom work have other related work pertinent to their quality of delivery. Teaching profession covers the very basic, that is from the Kindergarten to the senior high with allotment of duties ranging from class teaching to subject teaching practically the same as division of labour that exist everywhere in other sectors.
Nevertheless, Teachers break all odds to venture into remote and most rustically deprived areas where there are no Health facilities, access to potable drinking water, electricity, good road network and other sickening disconcerts posing threat to their lives just to execute their duty to the development of our Mother-land and yet received less or no recognition by government and on top of it all used and abused by the very state that employs them. Teachers may be qualified as other professionals but due to their number, they received less salary under the SSPP than every other institution and as such are calling for some appreciable increment of salary to commensurate with their qualification, training and input of work.
One grisly enigma by Teachers which is most appalling to Ghanaians and does not attract the sympathy of many is the comparison of their profession to other institutions like the Police Service and Nurses. Teachers can put out clear arguments and facts without this unnecessary comparison to press home their needs from government. There are challenges in every sphere of life and no one institution is more important and perfect than the other, therefore, facts and figures must be laid down by our noble Teachers to ask the appropriate authorities to address their concerns than trying to compare apples and oranges to buttress their action.
The foregoing score accentuate Comments like “we will recruit retired Rev. Fathers to teach if they don’t want their work”. These indiscreet remarks must not be condoned. If Teachers leave and any recruitment is done to replace them, it means those recruited persons are now Teachers and under the same condition of service and treatment, they will also embark on an industrial action leaving the government in a fix. It is an open secret that, Teachers deserve better than they are currently earning and again merit other allowances and incentives like any other profession to keep them glued to the profession, else Lawyer David Anna’s plea will be taken as a last resort to settle matters. After all, Teachers leave for better offers on daily basis without qualms from government or those loosed talkers.
In a nutshell, Teachers undoubtedly are the backbone of the future of this country and needs to be treated with dignity and respect by boasting their morale in salaries, allowances and incentives for them to offer their optimum best to the development of our future leaders. The Teaching profession must be made attractive enough to curb the daily exodus of Teachers to other lucrative sectors of the economy. Teaching must be adorned by the stakeholders to raise the self esteem of the professionals.
Do we have any idea about the number of Teachers who are in our current August House as MPs? Can someone tell Ghanaians the number of Teachers currently in the financial institutions? Does anyone know how many Teachers have left the profession to the security Services? What about the number of Teachers who have turned journalist? Who again know the number of Teachers who are now Lawyers? What are the possible reasons for this movement by Teachers if the profession is a praise worthy and attractive one?
All the aforementioned professions including Teaching are all noble ones and movement within them is not necessary but the same can not be said about Teaching. How many health professionals have left their jobs for Teaching? This is what I mean. Teaching should not be lowered to the pedestrian and seen as a cheap profession of dump site. The Government, myself, your good self and of course the Teacher owes it a duty to hold high this mother profession of all professionals to bring back the lost grandeur it used to characterized. “If you can read this, thank a Teacher” God bless our homeland Ghana.
Kashaa Nuhu babnuh11@yahoo.com
