DEMONSTRATION-TEACHER

Rose Hayford Darko, Tema .


Hundreds of teachers in the Tema Municipality today took to the principal streets of Tema to demonstrate massively against the demotion and transfer of their colleague Ms Helena Abrokwa for allegedly speaking to the press on September 11 2007 when school re-opened for academic work .

The placard bearing teachers sang patriotic songs prevailing on the Municipal Director of Education Mrs Lucy Kwapong to reverse her decision and unconditionally restore the headteacher .

Some of the placards read “Director , has GNAT not fought for you before ? ”
‘No Teacher , No Teaching Profession ’, and ‘Director, you change colours like chameleon ’ among a lot .

Petitions were also presented to the Municipal Chief Executive Mr David Quaye Annang and Mrs Kwapong .


According to the protest statement signed by the Municipal Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers Mr Robert Addotey and the Municipal Chairman , Mr Asare George Yamoah , the decision by the Municipal Director of Education violated the terms and conditions of Service of teachers .

It said Terms and Conditions of Service was an agreed terms by which all grievances were resolved and therefore its violation was a threat to all teachers and grievances that needed to be settled.

The statement called for an unconditional reinstatement of Ms Abrokwa for peace to prevail .

At the Municipal Directorate of the Ghana Education Service , a Welfare Officer , Mrs Christiana Mensah who received the petition on behalf of Mrs Kwapong said the Municipal Director was in a meeting and therefore could not meet the representatives of the demonstrators .

The Municipal Chairman of the GNAT Mr Yamoah on presenting the petition to the Municipal Chief Executive Mr David Quaye Annang said teachers were prepared to accept the out come of the committee which was to investigate the causes of the demotion of Ms Abrokwa .

He said the demonstration was necessary because the Director and some other Directors have taken to conducting secrete internal investigations to be used against their colleague creating an oppressive working condition .

Mr Amoah was of the view that these secrete manoeuvreings were violations of rights adding that though teachers were prepared to contribute to the human resource development of the nation , they would not accept working under oppressive environment .

The Municipal Chief Director Mr Annang said he was impressed with the solidarity shown for their colleague .

He advised them to relax and wait for the committee promised by the Director General and be ready to appear before it and ‘speak ’ if invited .

Mr Annang agreed with the demonstrating teachers that the code of conducts must be followed in such cases and thanked them .


Meanwhile the Solicitor of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT ) Mr Kwame Boni has written to the Director General of Ghana Education Service to indicate its disappointment for a group of Directors to constitute an internal investigative team to undermine the officially accepted memorandum of understanding between the GES and GNAT .

Mr Boni who was speaking to the Daily Graphic was of the view that the two organizations are major stake holders in education and therefore ‘ must work together peacefully and not humiliate each other .’

He said the team were intimidating Ms Abrokwa who has already suffered humiliations because of what could have been avoided .

Mr Boni disclosed that GNAT will continue to appeal to the Director General to consider the issue as delicate and therefore must show concern and sit up to solve it .

Some teachers the Daily Graphic interviewed were sad and said it could happen to any of them so long as ‘such issues continue to be dabbled with and joked with ’ .