Former NAGRAT president slams GES over inconsistencies, lack of direction
Former President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Kwami Alorvi has criticised the Ghana Education Service (GES) for not being forthright with policies and directives it has been issuing in recent time.
A write-up he issued Friday morning blamed the Education Service for what he describes as the ‘confusion’ on the best way to deliver on the GES’ mandate.
According to him, the different interpretations of the new curriculum by the GES and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA), the controversy surrounding the re-opening date for Senior High School (SHS) 3 students as well as the imposition of the State Insurance Company (SIC) insurance policy on teachers across the country and its outright rejection means the GES has lost control.
Mr. Alorvi called on the GES to engage teachers, the primary stakeholders in the country’s educational system, better than it has done in the past few years.
Find below the statement issued by the former NAGRAT president.
KWAMI ALORVI WRITES:
Confusion Rocks Ghana Education Service (GES).
The center cannot hold
- NaCCA boss Dr. Prince Hamid Armah (that name rings a bell in the article Kwami Alorvi replies Prince Hamid Armah) says BECE is going to be abolished. Director-General of GES counters and says the syllabi for JHS and SHS are yet to be developed. So far, the syllabus developed is for KG to Basic 6 (P6). So, until the current P6 pupils complete JHS, BECE continues. Even after that there will be an examination but not called BECE. The renaming continues.
- GES Director-General originally said in a letter that some schools had applied to him to do vacation classes. He did not name the schools though. GES, according to him, has approved the application so students are to report in school on 19th August 2019 for intervention classes. Schools, according to the DG, should apply for funds for the intervention classes.
NAGRAT and Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) opposed the idea.
Then out of the blue, GES brings a time table that schools are reopening on 19th August 2019 for 2019/2020 academic year for the SHS3 students.
It is no more intervention classes applied for by some schools.
Meanwhile, GES owes the Senior High Schools about 50% of the 2018/2019 academic year grants and subsidies for services they rendered on credit. How the SHS3 students are going to be fed and provided for in other critical areas, and from what fund, from the 19th August, have not even been sorted out with CHASS.
Yet the students should report to school.
- GES-SIC Insurance policy imposed on GES staff in June 2018 was halted in July of same year due to agitation by teachers. Then out of the blue, it was smuggled back in July 2019 and when the Unions threatened industrial action, a suspension was announced again.
PUBLIC NOTICE
Anyway, parents and students should take note that CHASS says it is not ready for students this August because Heads do not know how they would be catered for.
NAGRAT also says teachers should report to school in September, NOT in August.
Confusion Galore Enough is enough. The intimidation of teachers and disrespect for our profession must stop
Indeed, we have the men
#citizennotspectator