'GNAT to withdraw services, take legal action, Friday, March 9, 2012, pg 11
The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has threatened to withdraw its services from communities where its members are harassed and molested.
Further, the association said it would pursue legal action against people who, without any provocation from its members, take the law into their own hands and assault teachers.
"The Ghana National Association of Teachers will not take kindly to any further attacks on its members and will not hesitate to take whatever measures to seek redress for members who become victims of harassment and molestation," Mrs Irene Duncan Adanusah, the General Secretary of the association, said at a press conference in Accra.
The decision of the teachers' umbrella body follows acts of intimidation and harassment in the hands of two communities in the Dangme West District in the Greater Accra Region.
On January 16, this year, irate youth of Duffor in the Dangme West District invaded the Methodist Basic School, the only school in the community, and assaulted the head teacher and other teachers in protest against the perennial poor performance of pupils at the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
In reaction to the act, the Greater Accra Regional branch of GNAT threatened to boycott classes in the area if those who beat up the teachers were not arrested within a week. The Regional GNAT also demanded that the community wrote an undertaking to GNAT and the Ghana Education Service (GES) pledging respect and protection of all teachers posted to the community.
That, the community has refused to do, leading to the transfer of all the 16 teachers by GES, while the school has been closed down.
It would also be recalled that on March 5, this year, the Daily Graphic published a story concerning teachers at Agbekotsekope Methodist Basic School near Asutsuare who were said to have abandoned their classrooms or fled the communities following threats to molest the head teacher of the school. The residents blamed the teachers of the schools for the poor performance of the pupils in last year's BECE.
Speaking at the emotionally charged press conference, Mrs Duncan Adanusah said GNAT found it difficult to understand why the people in the two communities still thought that "the success of pupils at the BECE depended solely on teachers".
"Times without number, the GNAT has drummed home the fact that quality education takes more than the teacher. It takes the collective effort of all stakeholders in the education enterprise".
Mrs Duncan Adanusah wondered how the people in the communities expected teachers to perform their duty in such a hostile environment.
GNAT, therefore, called on the police in the area and the Dangme West District Security Council to ensure that the youth of Agbekotsekope did not carry out their threat as was contained in a letter circulating in the community which had given an ultimatum to the head teacher of the school to either leave the town by the end of March 2012, or risk molestation.
"This is not going to help the pupils get 10 ones but push teachers away from the community," she stated.
She said the law must take its course in the two communities to serve as a deterrent to people who hid behind non-performance of pupils and turned teachers into punching bags.
The Greater Accra Regional GNAT Secretary, Ms Gifty Apanbil, said even though GNAT had made overtures to the leadership of Agbekotsekope through the District Chief Executive of Dangme West to calm the situation, their effort had been fruitless.
She commended the judge of the Odumase Circuit Court for his interest in the matter which the judge was handling swiftly to ensure that the education of the pupils did not suffer.
Some angry teachers told the Daily Graphic that the performance of the pupils of Agbekotsekope Methodist Basic School had rather improved in 201l.
Indeed, evidence showed that in 2010, the 23 students registered for the examinations had between aggregate 20 and 37. However, in 2011, the results improved with the students gaining between aggregate 13 and 29. The student who had 13 was also among the best students in the district for the year and has even received a scholarship from the Volta River Authority (VRA).
Further, the association said it would pursue legal action against people who, without any provocation from its members, take the law into their own hands and assault teachers.
"The Ghana National Association of Teachers will not take kindly to any further attacks on its members and will not hesitate to take whatever measures to seek redress for members who become victims of harassment and molestation," Mrs Irene Duncan Adanusah, the General Secretary of the association, said at a press conference in Accra.
The decision of the teachers' umbrella body follows acts of intimidation and harassment in the hands of two communities in the Dangme West District in the Greater Accra Region.
On January 16, this year, irate youth of Duffor in the Dangme West District invaded the Methodist Basic School, the only school in the community, and assaulted the head teacher and other teachers in protest against the perennial poor performance of pupils at the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
In reaction to the act, the Greater Accra Regional branch of GNAT threatened to boycott classes in the area if those who beat up the teachers were not arrested within a week. The Regional GNAT also demanded that the community wrote an undertaking to GNAT and the Ghana Education Service (GES) pledging respect and protection of all teachers posted to the community.
That, the community has refused to do, leading to the transfer of all the 16 teachers by GES, while the school has been closed down.
It would also be recalled that on March 5, this year, the Daily Graphic published a story concerning teachers at Agbekotsekope Methodist Basic School near Asutsuare who were said to have abandoned their classrooms or fled the communities following threats to molest the head teacher of the school. The residents blamed the teachers of the schools for the poor performance of the pupils in last year's BECE.
Speaking at the emotionally charged press conference, Mrs Duncan Adanusah said GNAT found it difficult to understand why the people in the two communities still thought that "the success of pupils at the BECE depended solely on teachers".
"Times without number, the GNAT has drummed home the fact that quality education takes more than the teacher. It takes the collective effort of all stakeholders in the education enterprise".
Mrs Duncan Adanusah wondered how the people in the communities expected teachers to perform their duty in such a hostile environment.
GNAT, therefore, called on the police in the area and the Dangme West District Security Council to ensure that the youth of Agbekotsekope did not carry out their threat as was contained in a letter circulating in the community which had given an ultimatum to the head teacher of the school to either leave the town by the end of March 2012, or risk molestation.
"This is not going to help the pupils get 10 ones but push teachers away from the community," she stated.
She said the law must take its course in the two communities to serve as a deterrent to people who hid behind non-performance of pupils and turned teachers into punching bags.
The Greater Accra Regional GNAT Secretary, Ms Gifty Apanbil, said even though GNAT had made overtures to the leadership of Agbekotsekope through the District Chief Executive of Dangme West to calm the situation, their effort had been fruitless.
She commended the judge of the Odumase Circuit Court for his interest in the matter which the judge was handling swiftly to ensure that the education of the pupils did not suffer.
Some angry teachers told the Daily Graphic that the performance of the pupils of Agbekotsekope Methodist Basic School had rather improved in 201l.
Indeed, evidence showed that in 2010, the 23 students registered for the examinations had between aggregate 20 and 37. However, in 2011, the results improved with the students gaining between aggregate 13 and 29. The student who had 13 was also among the best students in the district for the year and has even received a scholarship from the Volta River Authority (VRA).
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