Teachers in Ghana Deserve Better!

Ghanaians have an adage, which literally translated means that “if you have nothing to give to your mother or father-in-law you don’t steal anything of hers or his.” How true!

Teachers in Ghana deserve better. It is sad to read from the Ghanaian Times' front -page publication recently that over 10,000 teachers have not been paid salaries since October 2006. The explanation given by the Controller and Accountant General was just like adding insult to injuries.

The Controller, Christian Sottie, told the Times that the salary vouchers were sent to the banks and was hopeful that the teachers could go to the banks sooner than later for their money, which included 10 months of arrears. He bemoaned the high level of bureaucracy in the Civil Service, which he said was the cause, of such delays over the years. However, he said, he was optimistic that the situation will improve considerably with time. What a lame excuse! Reports have it that the affected teachers included newly trained teachers, those who returned from study leave and others who were recruited as far back as 2004. How can such teachers be motivated in the classroom? What was the Ghana National association of Teachers (GNAT) doing all that time the teachers were “denied” their RIGHTFUL rewards by the Ministry of Education? One should commend the affected teachers for their patience, patriotism and love for their profession. I don’t want to politicise education in Ghana. For, teachers have been continually subjected to unfair treatment government after government. It is unbelievable how people don’t get paid but immediately the news hit the headlines, the money comes from nowhere.

If the high level of bureaucracy in the Civil Service in Ghana is to be blamed for the delay in paying teachers in particular and workers in general why not decentralise the process and make it more efficient and accountable? I call on the government, parliament and the GNAT to play their required roles in this direction to take good care of teachers. Education is the train of national development and the teaching profession is its engine!

We should all be reminded that teaching is a noble profession. From the days of Socrates to the time of Paul of the Bible students/graduates had spoken highly of their teachers (also called masters in some instances). The Holy Bible mentions teaching as one of the three top spiritual gifts from God that we must desire most for the growth of His church (read 1 Corth. 12:28). Interesting! Teachers make the medical doctors, the lawyers, the accountants, the engineers, the agriculturists, the musicians, the pastors, the politicians, the nurses, the computer analysts and many other workers who contribute effectively to the building of a nation anywhere. Education has been the major facilitator and catalyst in the astonishing changes and transformation sweeping through the world today. The role of formal (school) education in the liberation of the individual mind as well as economic dependence and in national development is therefore quite obvious. Thus, education pays off not only in literacy but also in income!
It is therefore quite obvious that education is very imperative to the sound development of individuals and nations. Every country ought to provide its people with qualitative and “not only quantitative” education! And every parent ought to ensure that their child gets the best of formal education as much as possible.

Undoubtedly, education is the biggest enterprise in any civilized society. Teachers play an important role in this enterprise. Their training, distribution and maintenance as professionals anywhere must be given serious attention.

Together we must fight to give our children everywhere the education they need. Knowledge is Power, but ignorance is a disease. And teachers who are the facilitators of learning, which is the process of acquiring knowledge at school deserve better!

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