Forum discusses GES teacher-rationalisation exercise
Participants in a forum in Tamale, organised to discuss the ongoing nationwide teacher rationalisation /redeployment exercise by the Ghana Education Service (GES), have expressed varied opinions and concerns about the exercise.
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The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) have called for the immediate suspension of the exercise for further discussions and consultations with all stakeholders on the issue before it is implemented to make it effective.
But the GES has explained that the exercise was to deploy teachers to fill vacancies in schools where there were no qualified trained teachers, especially in rural and deprived communities, to ensure quality education for all, maintaining that there was an over concentration of teachers in the urban areas.
However, GNAT and NAGRAT have described the manner in which the exercise is being carried out ‘as insensitive, and lacking human face’.
GNAT’s concerns
The Northern Regional Deputy Secretary of GNAT, Madam Logonia Mama Joyce, who represented the association at the forum, said GNAT was not against the redeployment exercise, but the haphazard manner and the insensitive way some directors of education and heads of senior high schools ( SHSs) were going about the exercise.
"We are against the unfortunate impression being gradually gathered about the teaching profession that teachers can be used by the GES as working tools and be deployed at will (anywhere, anytime) without recourse to laid down rules and procedures applicable to human resource management practiced worldwide"
The association noted that to ensure the smooth implementation of the exercise, it would be prudent on the part of the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the GES to immediately put the exercise on hold and go back to the table and discuss the issue thoroughly with all stakeholders to come to common terms on the matter so that the necessary modalities would clearly be spelt out to make the exercise effective.
“As we indicated earlier, what is required for a proper redeployment exercise is proper planning. The planning process should try to elicit support and cooperation from all stakeholders and, especially the teachers who would be affected by the exercise", the association stated.
NAGRAT’s position
Presenting NAGRAT’s views and position on the issue, Mr Samuel Atompoya, the Upper East Regional Chairman of NAGRAT, also called on the MOE and the GES to halt the redeployment exercise with immediate effect, so as to allow for further consultation and the development of acceptable modalities by all stakeholders on the way forward.
NAGRAT, therefore, called on its members and affected teachers to disregard any directive to leave their current places of work in the name of rationalisation and redeployment.
It cautioned that the continuous threats and victimisation of their members nationwide (through the redeployment exercise) were a sure recipe for industrial disharmony and chaos.
"It has become important now more than ever to create a workplace that actually works. A workplace that is devoid of acrimonious, muscle flexing, intimidation, domination and bullying. A workplace that will create room for dialogue, divergent opinion, motivation, dedication to duty and strict adherence to principles", the association observed.
GES explanation
The Upper West Regional Director of Education, Mr Iddrisu Mahama, who presented a paper on behalf of the GES at the forum, said the staff rationalisation/redeployment exercise was consistent with the aims and strategic objectives of the GES and has no such intention of harming any individual.
He said the exercise was basically to strengthen managerial operations which would ultimately impact on quality education delivery in the country.
Mr Mahama said the mission of the GES was to ensure that all Ghanaian children of school-going age were provided with quality formal education and training through effective and efficient resource management that would facilitate the making of education delivery relevant to the manpower and social needs of the nation, hence the exercise.
Purpose of the forum
The forum was organised by the Northern Network for Education Development ( NNED), a civil society organisation, and jointly supported by Volunteer Services Organisation ( VSO), an international non-governmental organisation and Star-Ghana.
Speaking on the topic for discussion, Mr Gaskin B. Dassah, the Co-ordinator of NNED, said the availability of trained teachers in schools, remained the greatest challenge to education in Ghana.
He said following the recent directives by the GES on the redeployment of teachers across the country, NNED decided to organise the forum for further discussions on the issue so as to arrive at concrete decisions that could contribute to quality education delivery in Ghana and particularly the three regions of the north.
Mr Dassah continued that the teacher supply situation varied across the country, indicating that whereas Greater Accra Region for instance has the highest proportion of trained teachers at the basic level, Upper East has the lowest, with all the three northern regions having the lowest proportion of trained teachers.
He added that the NNED’s aim was to harmonise and harness the collective efforts of all people interested in northern Ghana to unite in addressing education challenges in these regions.
