We don’t know All Teachers Alliance as a teachers group – NAGRAT boss
With regards to the recent brouhaha surrounding the ‘One Teacher, One Laptop’ initiative where a group calling itself All Teachers Alliance opposed the contract, President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Mr Angel Carbonu has clarified that he does not know ant teacher organization by that name.
The said group also complained that despite the legal tussle, teachers money has still been deducted ignoring the court’s directive.
Many teachers are not happy about this development and have raised genuine concerns about the manner in which GES has authorized the deduction of the laptops’ fee from their November professional development allowance.
“What’s more worrying is that the majority of teachers especially basic school teachers are yet to receive the laptops. The question now beckons how teachers could be deducted before providing them with laptops?” a statement the group issued said.
They have also threatened and revealed that they will protest against the Ghana Education Service (GES ) over the deductions on 15th December.
But Mr Angel Carbonu while briefing the press said “The interesting thing is that we don’t really know them, we don’t know what is motivating those group of people and we don’t know the details of the suit that they have sent to court so it will be very difficult to comment on that.
“Whoever they are in tango with, I am very sure that they will be able to get explanations from whoever, or the court will decide as to the legitimacy of the case that they have sent to court.”
Meanwhile, the President of the National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Philippa Larsen has called on the government to try and supply the remaining laptops to teachers before the end of Friday, December 31, 2021, as their monies have already been deducted.
“On 11 February 2021, a laptop computer pre-financing agreement was entered into between the GES, acting on behalf of the Ministry of Education and The Ghana Education Service Occupational Pensions Scheme (GESOPS). We wish to state that that per the pre-financing agreement between the GES and GESOPS, the cost per teacher is GHS549.44 pesewas. As a result of the 18.16 per cent interest rate on the 465 cedis.
“The price further reduced to GHS509 due to the intervention of the unions and the Minister of Education who indicated that the 18.16 per cent cannot be charged on the entire 30 per cent portion of the teacher,” she said.
She added “Leadership is asking the government through the Ministry of Education to absorb the interest charges on the 30 per cent that had accrued from pre-financing.
“We again demand from the GES to ensure that by the close of Friday 31st December 2021, all teachers deducted monies for the laptops would be supplied the said laptops.”
The initiative was launched by Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia at the St Mary’s Senior High School in Accra.
In the course of the program, he handed over 350,000 laptops in fulfilment of the government’s pledge to equip Ghana’s teachers with the requisite ICT skills to prepare the next generation for the Fourth Industrial revolution.
By: Stella Annan | myactiveonline.com Twitter @activetvgh
