Dr. Dominic Owusu, the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana’s (CETAG) spokesperson, has indicated that the association has refused to return to dialogue with the government because all avenues for negotiation have been exhausted.
Dr. Owusu revealed that CETAG has engaged in over 23 meetings with government agencies, only to be met with a lack of genuine commitment to addressing the concerns of teacher education, as the agencies consistently gave the impression of being uninvested in the issue.
He emphasized that the government needs to recognize the vital role of teacher education in Ghana, as teachers are the foundation upon which the country’s future generations of skilled and informed citizens are built.
“Now the teacher educator is a trainer of trainees who provides consultancy, knowledge skills, and competencies in the following areas; content knowledge, pedagogical content, academic guidance, clinical assessment of micro and macro teaching among others”.
“The top-up BRA [Book and Research allowance] that was paid was for 2022. What happened was that we were paid below what was expected, it was left with just GH₵ 1000.00. What we are asking for is the same BRA counterpart in the universities. The reason is that per the NLC ruling, CETAG should be given the same BRA [as universities]”.
Dr. Dominic Owusu
He noted that the National Labor Commission’s ruling explicitly stated that the BRA payment is to be retroactively applied from 2023 onwards.
However, Dr. Owusu pointed out that CETAG has been offered a BRA that falls short of the amount stipulated by the National Labor Commission’s arbitral award.
He stated that the government’s failure to promptly and fully implement the NLC’s arbitral award has been a major factor in CETAG’s decision to take industrial action.
Dr. Owusu stressed that CETAG’s strike will continue indefinitely until the government fully implements the arbitral award.
He pointed out that as a country governed by the rule of law, Ghana must uphold its legal principles, and since CETAG has followed the proper legal procedures to secure the BRA benefits for its members, the law must be applied accordingly.
Gov’t Owes CETAG 20 Months’ BRA Arrears
Furthermore, Dr. Dominic Owusu revealed that the government has an outstanding debt of twenty months’ worth of BRA arrears owed to CETAG, which remains unpaid.
He suggested that, based on information received, the migration process intended to enable CETAG to receive full BRA benefits is not being conducted in accordance with the recommendations of the staff audit report.
Dr. Owusu stated that GTEC’s latest move, instructing colleges to dissociate from the staff audit report, has aggravated the problems and reinforced CETAG’s doubts and concerns about the disparate treatment of colleges compared to universities.
“The Colleges of Education have more PhDs emerging than any other tertiary public institution so you could see commitment on the part of CETAG to make sure they could come at par with the qualification and the requirement that goes with tertiary education but the necessary remuneration has not been given to us”.
“CETAG should be accorded the necessary respect. The era where teachers are not respected and are looked down on is over”.
Dr. Dominic Owusu
He pointed out that contemporary teachers in Ghana are aware of their entitlements and are dedicated to enhancing their skills, driven by a passion for education and self-advancement.
Dr. Owusu also revealed that the current year marks the third occasion on which the government has frozen the salaries of CETAG members, following similar actions in 2018 and 2022.
He emphasized that CETAG is willing to go to great lengths, even if it means putting everything on the line, to resist the government’s strong-arm measures and secure a lasting legacy for the next generation.
“It is high time the lukewarm and unconcerned attitude towards the college lecturer is put on the background”. – Dr. Dominic Owusu
Dr. Owusu emphasized that teachers are passionate about their profession and are eager to return to their classrooms, as they are deeply dissatisfied with being on strike and long to resume their teaching duties.
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