Friday, 29 March

Ensure “equality and equity” in teacher recruitment – Jobless graduate teachers to gov't

Education
Unemployed Graduate Basic School Teachers has called on the government to ensure “equality and equit

A group called the Unemployed Graduate Basic School Teachers has called on the government to ensure “equality and equity” during the recruitment of teachers in basic school.

The call by the Unemployed Graduate Basic School Teachers, follows what the group refers to as the “biased model of recruitment of teachers into basic schools by the Ghana Education Service and the intentional sideline and discrimination against university graduates during recruitment of teachers into basic schools.”

A statement issued by the group, signed by the Convener, Johnson Fiifi Baffoe Essilfie and Secretary for the group, Andy Confidence Avoka, called on the Ministry of Education and the GES “to revise the recruitment method where only teachers from the college of education are recruited at the disadvantage of teachers from the university who holds same or even higher qualification.”

The group said: “The institution one attended should not be a barrier/limitation for not getting employed into the service. The qualification one possess should be the primary requirement for getting recruited into the Ghana Education Service as a teacher in the upcoming recruitment. If there be any priority, it should be for a licensed teacher and not a year group of college of education trainees in the upcoming recruitment”.

“A thorough and more vigorous process of recruitment which gives even playing grounds for all licensed teachers should be used during the upcoming and subsequent recruitment” and “a clear policy regarding recruitment of teachers into basic schools that covers all licensed teacher trainees from both the university and college of education should be made.”

The statement continued: “It is obvious that colleges of education were established mainly for training teachers to teach in pre-tertiary schools. It is also obvious again that, over the years, colleges of education have been an affiliate of the University of Cape Coast which is an education-oriented university to examine and award certificates. It is, therefore, in no doubt that, teachers that are churn from both the university and the colleges of education are at least of equal quality and should reflect during recruitment.

“Limited recruitment has been a compensation for university-trained teachers which is mostly targeted at recruiting teachers for these second cycle schools. This has made a chunk of our members who completed school since 2013 up to date denied recruitment into the service. The very few who had the opportunity to be recruited was due to the fact that they knew someone or had connections or even paid their way through by way of ‘protocol’ (whom-you-know approach). This has made some unscrupulous persons extort huge sums of money in promise of postings from most of our members.”

The group further reminded the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) of its 2016 manifesto of which was “themed an agenda for change, creating a prosperous and equal opportunity for job” and emphasised that “it is in this spirit we ask that equality and equity should be served during the recruitment of teachers in basic school.”

It added that: “It is in no doubt that every Ghanaian has dreams and aspirations to turn into reality and that qualified graduate irrespective of institution attended should be given equal opportunity and access to job opportunities provided.”

 

Source: classfmonline.com