GNAT criticises the Interdiction of the Headmistress of West Africa SHS by the GES

Ferdinand | EducationGhana |July 16| GNAT criticises the Interdiction of the Headmistress of West Africa SHS by the GES

The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has criticised the interdiction of the Headmistress of the West Africa Senior High School over the alleged collection of illegal monies from students.

The GNAT in a statement issued on July 21. 2023 indicated that the Ghana Education Service’s continuous condemnation of the effort of teachers and heads of schools under their jurisdiction was very unfortunate.

The Management of GES interdicted Dr (Mrs) Shine Agatha Ofori, Headmistress of West Africa SHS, for the unauthorised collection of money from students.

That, consequently, She is to hand over the administration of the school to the Regional Director of Education, pending the final determination of the case by the Regional

In a statement released on Wednesday, July 19, the Public Relations Unit of GES announced that “Management of GES has interdicted Dr Mrs Shine Agatha Ofori, Headmistress of West Africa SHS, for unauthorized collection of money from students.”

The statement signed by the Head of the Public Relations Unit, Cassandra Twum Ampofo, further noted that “She is to hand over the administration of the school to the Regional Director of Education pending final determination of the case by the Regional Disciplinary Committee.”

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But the GNAT indicated  its displeasure in its response below:

“Once again, the Ghana Education Service, GES, has gone into the
overdrive, and is at its usual sinister best, seeking to cover its own
shortcomings of not addressing the numerous challenges facing the
the smooth running of the public basic and secondary schools.

“This behaviour is bringing the personalities of school heads and teachers,
and their skills and competencies into question, disrepute, and
opprobrium. The GES must put its own house in order internally, before
going to town every now and then with school heads who have become
pawns in its blame game.

“Indeed, we are amazed, that the vogue now is the GES interdicting
public school heads of unauthorised collection of money from students,
which in many instances, turn out to be false and subject them to
psychological trauma, moral turpitude and impugning their reputation.

“A few months ago, it was Tema Senior High School; days later it was Aburi
Girls and Achimota, and hours later Tamale Senior High and Fijai, and
now WASS.

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“The Ghana National Association of Teachers, GNAT, would like to find out
from the GES:

1. Whether pre-financing the running of schools by the Heads in terms of
   capitation grant, administrative costs, and meeting another overhead cost
   from their own resources to be recouped later constitute an infraction?

2. Should Heads allow their students to go hungry as in the case of
   Binduri SHS which resulted in a riot leading to the temporary closure of
   the school as carried by the Friday, 21st July 2023, Editorial of the Daily
   Graphic?

3. Whether the PTA and Old Boys / Girls Associations can
   appropriately support the schools using their own resources both in cash
   and kind?

4. Why should school heads who are very responsible people and have taught
   many of the policymakers be made to keep quiet over the ineptitude of
   the said policymakers?

5. As citizens, why can’t they complain or cry out, when things are not
   going on well in their schools?

“The other day, the Head of Fijai school was at the receiving end, only for
the PTA to come out to absolve her/him of any wrongdoing or
malfeasance; but then the harm had already been done.

“How would she/he hold herself/himself in society and before her/his
students, family, church, mosque, and the larger society henceforth? And
now Dr. (Mrs) Shine Agatha Ofori? Would these persons be restituted in
the end, if found to have committed no wrong? We await an answer from
the GES and all who matter.

“At this juncture, we wish to advise all school heads, teachers, and our
members, not to pre-finance the running of the schools from their own
resources, going forward, since doing so would be misinterpreted, and
awarded with shame, suspension, and interdiction, as has happened to
Dr. (Mrs) Shine Agatha Ofori and her colleagues.

“And to the Ghana Education Service, GES, we wish to state categorically
that, Enough is Enough! We are fed up, and the earlier GES stopped
embarrassing school heads, teachers, and all other staff in the sector, the
better it would be for all of us.

The GES must acknowledge its own “blackness” before calling school heads, teachers, and the ancillary staff “black”

“To Dr (Mrs) Shine Agatha Ofori and all who have suffered a similar fate, we say “we are with you in spirit and solidarity” forthwith, GES!

“School Heads and Teachers’ reputation matter, stop embarrassing and
harassing them.”

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