NAGRAT issues ultimatum to Akwamuman SHS for withholding teachers’ salaries

The Ghana National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) has issued a five-day ultimatum to the Asuogyaman Education Directorate and the headmaster of Akwamuman Senior High School, to immediately release the salaries of some teachers which were withheld.

This comes after the July/August salaries for certain teachers were withheld by the Headmaster and Education directorate for the teachers failure to attend a Professional Learning Community (PLC) session.

The headmaster, Anim-Addo Asuoko, and the directorate according to sources, are withholding the salaries as a punitive measure for the teachers failure to attend the programme.

But according to NAGRAT, the the decision is a breach of the code of conduct of the Ghana Education Service which does not authorize salary suspensions or mandatory apology letters for teachers who miss PLC meetings.

The PLC initiative introduced approximately eight years ago, is intended to support teachers’ continuous professional development, improve their skills, and earn them credit points, but attendance is not supposed to affect their salaries.

At an October 25, 2024 press briefing held at the Association’s Eastern Regional Secretariat Friday, NAGRAT’s Eastern Regional Chairman, Godwin Awoonor-Yevu, condemned the headmaster’s actions as “disheartening” and counterproductive, emphasising that such punitive measures create a hostile working environment and undermine teacher morale.

NAGRAT is demanding the authorities to release the salaries of the teachers immediately, warning of further actions if the salaries are further withheld.

“It has come to our attention that teachers who were unable to attend the Professional Learning Community PLC, which popularly called PLC sessions are being victimized and treated unfairly.

“There’s nowhere in our condition of service for the Ghana Education Service which specifies that failure to attend PLC sessions warrants headmasters or headmistresses to place an embargo on teachers’ salaries, and addition insists that teachers write an apology letter before the embargo is lifted.

“Headmasters and headmistresses do not have the authority to place an embargo on the salary of a teacher who does not attend PLC sessions. It is disheartening to learn that some teachers are being penalised for not attending PLC sessions, this is not only unfair but also counter-productive and undermines the morale of teachers.

“We’re calling on the headmaster of Akwamuman SHS who continues to victimise teachers to lift the embargo, we are giving him a 5-day ultimatum to rescind his decision.”

The association which also called on the headmaster to rescind his decision and lift the embargo on the salaries of the teachers also demanded the same from the various Municipal and District Directors of Education to desist from victimization of teachers who fail to attend CPD and PLC sessions.

Source:onuaonline.com