Some teacher unions have directed the Ghana Education Service (GES) to withdraw the 2022 Semester Academic Calendar for Public Basic Schools.
The Ministry of Education, ahead of the commencement of a new academic year for public schools, announced a new calendar modeled on a semester basis.
However, the announcement has been met with various concerns and criticisms including some teacher unions who have called for its reversal.
According to the President of the Coalition of Concerned Teachers, Ghana (CCT-GH), King Ali Awudu, GES failed to consult teacher unions.
Such a major policy change, he noted, should have attracted a wide consultation and therefore he finds both the pronouncement and the document offensive and takes exception to them.
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“The teacher is going to overwork and so when we all go to the table and their extra effort is highly appreciated, they will then compensate you. So our issue is that GES should pull the calendar down and come to the table for negotiations, else we won’t accept it,” he said.
Mr Awudu made this known on Adom FM’s morning show Dwaso Nsem Wednesday.
He also argued that the new system among other downsides leads to an increase in contact hours, contrary to their collective agreement.
They, teacher unions are therefore calling on the GES to immediately withdraw the policy, pending full consultations with the Unions in Education and other major stakeholders and do serve notice that failure to do so would be resisted fiercely.
Meanwhile, the GES has invited Education Unions for a meeting on Thursday, January 20, 2022, to aid further discussion on the new calendar.