Teacher Unions threaten strike on November 4 over new GES DG

The controversy over the appointment of Dr Eric Nkansah as Director-General (DG) of the Ghana Education Service (GES), continues to deepen as four teacher unions threaten to embark on a strike on November 4, 2022.

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, President of the Coalition of Concerned Teachers, Ghana, King Ali Awudu, told the media that stakeholders in education, namely GNAT, NAGRAT, CCT and TEWU are still not happy about Dr Eric Nkansah’s appointment and are not ready to work with him.

According to the teacher unions, failure of the President to revoke the appointment will lead to an industrial action on November 4, 2022.

“The Brouhaha about the dismissal of the DG of GES, Prof Opoku Amankwa and other issues affecting the education service that we were dealing with Prof Opoku Amankwa (to resolve), have come to a halt. We will like to say that the recent dismissal and the subsequent appointment of the new DG of the GES is sad.

“It is sad in the sense that the argument is being made to make it appear that there’s nobody in the education space who has the set of skills needed and capable enough to be appointed as DG of GES. We are told that the Minister for Education informed the presidency that the set of skills of the just dismissed DG of GES is no longer required. It beats one’s imagination how the skills of an educationist are not needed in the management of education but that of a banker is?” Mr Awudu lamented.

CCT-Ghana described happenings at the GES as very unfortunate.

Mr Awudu said: “Let’s make it clear, against what the minister is saying that Dr Eric Nkansah has taught in a primary school before and he has also taught geography in a certain SHS before, the schools we don’t even know.

“But it’s unfortunate that the Minister of Education who himself has done education does not know that the mere fact that someone has taught in a classroom before does not mean that particular person has done education, the fact that somebody has taught in a primary school and the SHS doesn’t make the person a professional and doesn’t mean the person has done education, so the Minister should come again and stop throwing dust in the eyes of the people.”

According to the teacher unions, directors both at the District and Regional levels are unhappy with Dr Nkansah, the unions are also not happy and they are calling for his immediate removal.