EducationGhana| December 20| Teacher Kwadwo: Teacher Kwadow, the embattled Comedian and Teacher, whose actual name is Michael Owusu Afriyie, was sacked by the Ghana Education Service (GES) for alleged Professional Misconduct has indicated he was not absent from school for 55 days without permission.
Teacher Kwadwo said the allegation being levelled by the GES against him were not the reality.
Teacher Kwadwo’s December 19, 2021 press statement indicated that On Friday, 17th December 2021, he received a letter from the Regional Education Office informing him that the Management has taken a decision to terminate his appointment with the Ghana Education Service.
According to him, Contrary to the claims by the GES that, he was absent from school for 55 days without permission, he stated categorically that this information is false and misleading.
”In fact, during the proceedings, the Committee established that on the relevant occasions, I had at all times received permission from the head of my institution.” He said.
”The Committee heard from colleague teachers and established that in fact, the head of my institution put in place a flexible working arrangement that enabled me to teach, while taking Fridays off, to enable me to seek sponsorship for the School and the District. All those days were covered by a substitute teacher.” He added.
”The Committee also established that the headmaster actually informed the entire teaching Staff that because I had taken on the task of seeking support and sponsorship for the School, and that this was yielding results, had he had decided to make it flexible for me to able to combine my official teaching duties, with my social responsibilities for the school and the district.” He said.
”I was encouraged to do these activities and made to understand that acting as a social ambassador for my school was expected from teachers and a good example to follow.” He said.
”The Committee took issue with the fact that the permission I had obtained was oral and not written. However, the GES Code of Conduct, which was drawn to their attention clearly specifies that permission need not be only written, it can also be verbal.”
”In fact, the GES Code of Conduct only insists on written permission, when a Staff is seeking to travel outside of the Country. (See Rule 3.15)”
”I challenge all teachers in this country, to state that they have never received oral permission from their headteachers to be absent from school at any time.”
”’I find that this attempt to reinterpret the Code of Conduct in order to ground the motivated decision to dismiss me smacks of discrimination and confirms my suspicion that I have been victimized for my criticisms of GES through my #FixGES advocacy.”
”I note that the Management claims that in proposing that I be dismissed from the Service they have into consideration the fact that I have taken several steps which have brought in significant sponsorship support for the School and the entire district.”
”I find it however bizarre, that they will acknowledge the fruits that the special dispensation by the headteacher allowed me to secure for the district while recommending that I be dismissed. So how was my industry to go above and beyond my duties as a teacher taken into account in order to dismiss me?” He asked.
The report established that:
1. Mr Michael Owusu Afriyie, the P4 teacher of Akrofuom D/A Primary school was absent from school without permission for a total of 55 daysin the 2021 academic year.
2. Mr Michael Owusu Afriyie refused to prepare a lesson plan as a professional teacher and ignored the directive of the District Director to prepare the lesson plan. He further refused to submit Lesson Notes for vetting by his Headteacher.
3. Mr Michael Owusu Afriyie exhibited the highest level of insubordination towards the District Director and the School Improvement Support Officer (SISO) responsible for his school as well as the Headteacher of his school, and that he in some instances refused to respond to queries served him by both the Headteacher and the SISO.
He further even refused to respond to a query issued to him by the District Director and in addition, refused to appear before a panel set up by the District Director to investigate his conduct.
Management views this conduct as serious enough and very unprofessional and unethical.
Management, therefore, does not accept the recommendation of the Committee that Mr Michael Owusu Afriyie should be re-assigned since the recommended sanction does not commensurate with the established misconduct, since such serious non-professional and unethical conduct merit summary dismissal.
