Newly trained teachers are still suffering from political interference

The 2018 Newly Trained Teachers were admitted into Colleges of Education from the 2015/2016 academic year with numerous challenges. We tried our best as student leaders to ensure the right things are done but our efforts proved futile due to personal interest of some individuals in political positions.

These innocent students (2018 year group) were made to pay utility levies that were in arrears even before they were admitted to College in 2015. They were made to pay utility levies during their teaching practice period meanwhile non of them used any electrical appliances/gadgets on their various campuses which may have contributed to utility levies because they were out of campus and were attached to various surrounding basic schools… The sad moment was, they paid their own utility bills as mentees (student teachers) at their various school of practice aside the college levy…Hmmmmmmm. We have mouths to speak but have no listening ears to solve our problems. All our efforts yielded no positive results.

In February 2018, about 16,000 Newly Trained Teachers were made to pay Gh10.00 each for GES online registration. After payment, all the Director General of GES could say was “I am aware of the online registration but not aware of any Gh10.00” Till now, nobody knows who is keeping the said money. We probed into the matter but nothing positive was said.

In August/September 2018, the same students were made to pay a whopping amount of Gh220.00 for unstructured, unplanned and forcefully imposed Ghana Teacher Licensure Examination accompanied with high level of inconsistencies. As it stands now, we don’t know our fate of the said examination conducted.

While waiting for postings from GES, another directive without any prior notice from the Ministry of Education through the Ghana National Service Scheme on 25th October, 2018 emerged and directed all Newly Trained Teachers to pay another Gh40.00/Gh41.00 for national service registration. Most of us toiled through “Hell” to register.

Information gathered indicated that, the Gh40.00/Gh41.00 registration fee paid include certificate, NS ID card, online registration, NASPA levy of Gh10.00 (Unknown Association dues to newly trained teachers from the Colleges of Education) and others.

The 2018 Newly Trained Teachers have suffered and struggled from the schools they have been posted to, through to their Regional office for validation and then traveling back to the regional office for biometric registration. While struggling to settle their accommodation issues with their landlords/landladies, not to talk about their basic needs and feeding to start the service to the Nation, “The corruption is still rising under the watch of this 0% corruption tolerance government.” …Hmmmmm….

The current information reaching some of us is that, the Ketu South Municipal NSS Secretariat together with the Municipal NASPA collected an amount of Gh3.00 from each Newly Trained Teacher posted to the Municipal and branded it as “Welfare and dues.” Each personnel was forced to pay the said amount because, failure to comply your monthly allowance form will not be accepted at the Municipal office. The information also has it that, they were informed that, each of them shall continue to pay the said amount every month before they will be allowed to submit the monthly allowance forms. What a levy!!!

The Lower Manya Krobo Municipal Assembly -NSS Secretariat together with the Municipal NASPA executive – E/R have also agreed to do same. They have asked all Newly Trained Teachers to pay Gh5.00 as “welfare and dues.” “They are yet to pay the said money.”

The interesting aspect is that, the said money they are collecting have been incorporated into the registration fee paid by all Newly Trained Teachers.  It’s on record that the Gh10.00 paid shall be distributed in the percentage of 50, 30 and 20 to the MMDs, Regionals and National respectively. “Why then do you charged a different levy?”

There are about 218 Districts/Municipals recognised by the Ghana Education Service (as at 2018) where 2018 Newly Trained Teachers have been posted for the “forcefully imposed” service. Why should only two (2) Municipals Assemblies out of the rest took such decision?

Well! aside all short falls, l must thank my District NSS Director -South Tongu to have revoked the decision/proposal to take Gh5.00 monthly dues from each Newly Trained Teacher within the District as “Welfare and dues” brought to her table by the District NASPA executives. It took the intervention of some colleagues including myself in a meeting to ensure that, the needful is done. God bless you Madam. We need your type in public offices to help eliminate corruption.

Hmm……We pronounced to fight corruption but the rate at which the corruption is moving across all sectors of this country is nothing to speak about.

Ghanaian Students have active, competent and proactive student leaders to help frontier them but some “autocratic politicians” have made and still making such leaders very weak, incompetent etc. before their members meanwhile they are not.

Where is Ghana going???

……. Well, l would use this medium to call on the Director of NSS-Ketu South Municipal to put things in place to return the money to all affected 2018 Newly Trained Teachers within her Municipal since her office was used to collect the money.

Also, the Volta Regional NSS Secretariat should as a matter of urgency put the Ketu-South Municipal to order and any other District that is planning same within the region. The Eastern Regional NSS Secretariat should also put the Lower Manya Krobo Municipal Assembly to order.

The NSS National Secretariat should also be on the alert to monitor the various NSS Regional Secretariats and bring to book any official who is in the said act.

Let’s be citizens not spectators.

Thank you.

Agboni Nicholas Kelvin

(A former scribe – TTAG)

0545238073

Source: thepressradio.com