”Stop Making The Teacher Vulnerable!”-Teacher Narrates ‘bad’ treatment from the GES

2nd July 2019

An open letter to the Ghana Education Service.

I walked to a Ghana Education Service DIRECTORATE to apply for an ASSURANCE to be released to teach in another district.

The following conversation ensued:

Me: Please Madam, I learnt the ban on Releases and Transfers has been lifted.
I wish to submit my application letter for an Assurance to teach in this district.

GES Officer: From where did you hear the information that the ban has been lifted?

Me: The information is circulating on some education related websites and also on Social Media platforms please.

GES Officer: In GES, we deal with official circulars, not Social Media!

Me: Please Madam, times have changed and Social Media is very relevant.

Well, I failed in my attempt at getting an assurance that would have enabled me to secure a transfer to the urban area after five years of dedicated service in the hinterlands because the Ghana Education Service does not deal with Social Media.

I think it is time our employer takes a second look at how it circulates information to its employees in this era of fast growing Information Technology.

The circulars are no longer coming.

This is making the Teacher vulnerable by making him or her rely on unauthentic sources for information.

What we are experiencing nowadays, is that, most information to Teachers rather usually circulate as rumors on Social Media and later turn to be truth.

A situation that ends up creating doubt and confusion not only among Teachers but also with the officers of the Ghana Education Service in some districts.

I contacted the GES portal on Facebook with a challenge and the portal was on auto-response.

They were going to get back to me and I am still waiting.

I sent the same message to the Social Media page of another organization, not directly involved in education and their response was swift. They are currently assisting in the matter.

At the beginning of the month of May, information was on Social Media that all in-service Teachers were required to download an app from Play store via their android phones to enable them submit data in a survey to the National Teaching Council, NTC.

A purportedly important exercise geared towards the licensing of Teachers.

Our employer, the GES was however tight lipped on the matter knowing that a deadline of 31st May has been affixed to the exercise.

*Have we thought about the Teacher in the hinterlands who may not have access to the information within this short period?*

I suggest the GES should be up and doing by constantly updating its Website and Social Media handles with all relevant information.

That way, there will be some credibility to the information even if it should be on Social Media platforms.

By so doing, I believe, there would not be the need of printing paper circulars that will take longer time to reach the Teacher in the very remote and rural areas.

Also we may end up saving some money on stationery.

*It is time we move with the times by doing away with the archaic and less productive ways of doing things.*