Terminate Laptop Contract with KA Technologies and refund all illegal monies – Unions told

EducationGhana| December 05| TM 1 Laptop: The three major teacher Unions, the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers -Ghajna (CCT-GH) are being tasked to Terminate Laptop Contract with KA Technologies Ghana Limited.

The Union leaders are also being told to refund all illegal monies deducted from teachers’ salaries for the Teachers Mate 1 (TM 1) Laptop deal.

This was contained in a press conference organized by the Akpini Local Chairman of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Mr Adanuty John Paul on December 2, 2021, in the Volta Region.

Read Press Statement Below;

PRESS RELEASE BY MR ADANUTY JOHN PAUL, AKPINI LOCAL GNAT CHAIRMAN ON THE ONE TEACHER ONE LAPTOP INITIATIVE IN THE GHANA EDUCATION SERVICE ON THE 2ND OF DECEMBER, 2021

Good morning ladies and gentlemen of the media.
It has become very necessary for us as teachers to rise and defend ourselves from being exploited by our own colleagues and leaders in the Ghana Education Service. These are some reasons why we join trade unions at our various workplaces
1. Better wages and benefits. It’s proven that workers who are trade union members earn more than non-unionized workers.

1. Personal protection. Unions have got your back.

2. Equality. Trade unions champion equal rights and equal pay.

3. Health and safety. Unionized workplaces are safer

4. Solidarity.

It is very clear that teachers in Ghana don’t get enough of the above-mentioned benefits from their leaders in NAGRAT, GNAT and or CCT Ghana but are rather being cheated and exploited.

K.A Technology Ghana Limited

On the 13th Day of November 2020, there was a memorandum of understanding signed between Ghana Education Service, Teacher Unions(signed by Mr Thomas T Musah and Mr Eric Angel Cabonu) and K.A Technology Ghana Limited to procure and supply 280,000 customized laptops and also provide technical training for teachers in the various ICT and virtual devices to be supplied pursuant to the MOU for all members of the teacher unions at a unit cost of 1550.00 including all applicable taxes and charges.

If we strike 30% of 1550.00 we will get 465.00 but not 509.55 which was forcefully deducted by the controller and Accountant General Department so where is our balance as well?

It will interest all teachers to know that, a response letter dated 20th September 2021 signed by Mr Jone N. Ansah the Assistant Chief Company Inspector at the Registrar General Department to (ATAG )All Teachers Alliance Ghana paragraph 2 says ” we wish to state that after conducting a search on KA Technology Ghana Limited at our company registry, such a name was not found in our records”.

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So our union leaders should be explaining to teachers where the company is before they signed the MOU with them.

GES OCCUPATIONAL PENSION SCHEME (GESOPS)

On 26th October 2021, the Director-General of GES wrote a letter authorizing the chairman of the Board of Trustees of GES Occupational Pension Scheme and the controller and Accountant General Department to Deduct an amount of Five Hundred and Nine cedis (509.00) but 509.55 was rather deducted from each teacher’s Continuous Professional Development Allowance which was yet to be paid into

Account name: GESOPS- Board of Trustees
Bank name: Cal Bank Ltd
Bank Branch: Head office
Account Number: 1400005562696

In this same letter, it was said that the entity was providing only 280,000 pieces of laptop which are woefully inadequate for all the numerous teachers in Ghana where the money will be deducted for all.

In paragraph seven of the same letter, the Director-General of GES further directed that the Board should open an interest yielding Escrow account into which the remaining money deducted for which the laptop won’t be supplied yet be deposited into since the number of laptops procured is less than the number of teachers in Ghana.

My humble and harmless questions to the Director-General of GES are as follows

1. Why give orders to GESOPS and the CAGD to deduct money from the PDA of all teachers knowing Very well only 280 000 pieces of laptops have been procured which is woefully inadequate for all the teachers in Ghana?

2. Who will enjoy the millions of Ghana Cedis interest that will be accrued from that savings in that Escrow account you directed to be opened?

It is also surprising to know that our own union leaders sold us into the hardship we are going through today in Ghana as teachers.

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The General Secretary of GNAT Mr Thomas T Musah again in a letter dated 10th February 2021 and copied NAGRAT and CCT Ghana with ref number 0692/vol.III/(3)/90/21 to the Director-General of Ghana Education Service in paragraph 5 stated

“In consequences of this, we (Teacher Unions) assure you of our readiness and preparedness and also give our consent that, 30% be deducted from the annual Continuous Professional Development Allowance towards the supply of the laptops to our teachers”.

These are the reasons why our union leaders are quiet and our monies are being deducted anyhow because they are benefiting from it.

We are by this press briefing calling on the Director-General of Ghana Education Service to as a matter of urgency call the leaders of the teacher unions in Ghana who signed this contract without consulting us to immediately terminate the contract before school resumes the next year 2022 otherwise we will hit the streets to demonstrate against them because as at now we do not know the actual cost of the Laptops.nin

Thank you for coming
Signed
1. Adanuty John Paul 0243613504
2. Gbeve Shine 0241965295
3. Hodzi Jonathan 0546636783

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