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, urging the immediate reinstatement of July and August salaries for several teachers.
This demand follows reports that the Headmaster, Anim-Addo Asuoko withheld the salaries of some teachers as a disciplinary measure for not attending a Professional Learning Community (PLC) session.
According to NAGRAT, the headmaster’s actions exceed the disciplinary limits outlined in the Ghana Education Service’s code of conduct, which does not sanction salary deductions or require apology letters for missing PLC meetings.
The PLC initiative, established about eight years ago, aims to support teachers’ professional growth and skill development, offering them credit points. Attendance, however, should not impact teachers’ salaries.
Speaking at a press conference on October 25 at NAGRAT’s Eastern Regional Secretariat in Koforidua, Eastern Regional Chairman, Awoonor-Yevu Godwin criticized the headmaster’s actions as “disheartening” and demoralizing, arguing that such punitive measures foster a hostile work environment.
NAGRAT has called for an immediate resolution, warning of further action if the teachers’ salaries are not reinstated.
“We have learned that teachers who missed the PLC sessions are being unfairly penalized. Nowhere in the Ghana Education Service’s conditions of service does it permit headmasters or headmistresses to withhold salaries or demand apology letters for missing these sessions,” Awoonor-Yevu said.
NAGRAT also urged district education authorities to refrain from targeting teachers over missed PLC and CPD sessions, asserting that this victimization is not only unjust but counterproductive.
Source: Adomonline
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