The General Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Thomas Musah Tanko, has raised concerns over the longstanding systemic suppression of teachers within the Ghana Education Service (GES), particularly regarding career progression beyond the rank of deputy director.
In an interview on Citi Eyewitness News on Friday, April 25, Musah expressed deep appreciation to President John Dramani Mahama and the Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, for their intervention to facilitate the promotion of teachers and deputy directors.
However, he questioned the delay in addressing what he termed an entrenched barrier in the promotional structure.
“I want to express our profound gratitude to the President of the Republic and the sector minister regarding the decoupling of the deputy director rank. The substantive question is, why is it that it has been delayed?” he queried.
He further explained the restrictive nature of the existing system, which he said has effectively blocked teachers from rising beyond the deputy director rank unless rare conditions are met.
“On our scheme of service, the last rank which you can be promoted to is director one, but it has become some kind of systemic suppression where teachers can only rise to the deputy director rank. And before you go to director two, three conditions must be fulfilled,” Musah stated.
According to him, the current structure only allows promotion to director two under three specific conditions: the retirement of a district director, the resignation of a district director, or the unfortunate passing of a current office holder.
“If none of these conditions are fulfilled, there is no way you can move from the deputy director rank to director two,” he added.
GNAT had earlier threatened to embark on a nationwide strike by April 30 over the delay in promoting more than 1,000 qualified teachers. In response, President Mahama directed the immediate promotion of all eligible deputy directors of education.
Subsequently, the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, announced the formation of a committee to develop clear modalities for the promotion process and the implementation of the Government’s Professional Teacher Licensing Examinations.
Musah described the President’s directive as a positive step forward and expressed hope that it would lead to a lasting resolution.
“If this time, President Mahama and the Minister for the sector have given us this information, it is a welcome one, and we are grateful. We are hoping that the rest of the modalities will be worked out, and if all things are equal, teachers can rise to become Director General,” he said.
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