Teacher Trainees on Wednesday December 16, 2020 reinstated Agustin Appiah, a former President of the Association who was Impeached during the infamous 25th National Delegates Congress held at Berekum College of Education in the Bono Region on November 16, 2020.
The National President was impeached on the 19th of November,2020 during a National Delegates Congress that was described by Delegates and critics as the worst in the Association’s 25 years of existence.
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Purpose of Impeachment
The National President was impeached by the National Delegates Congress on the basis that his actions as president was contrary to the spirit and letter of
constitution of the Association.
According to Congress, the National President took decisions on several occasions without consulting the National Executive Council (NEC) and the National Secretariat of the Association.
A statement issued by the NEC on November 19, 2020 indicated that the president wrote letters to stakeholders without consulting the NEC or National Secretariat.
Augustine Appiah was also alleged to have forged the signature of the General Secretary as well as the letterhead of the Association to write a letter to the police without the consent of the National Secretariat.
The content of that letter is sought to prevent congress from happening as against the decision of the National Executive Council (NEC).
The president is said to have misled some invited guests for the 25th Annual Delegates Congress which was scheduled for 18th – 21st, November, 2020 at St. Ambrose College of Education that the program has been postponed without the
knowledge of National Executive Council (NEC).
He was also described to have demonstrated lackadaisical attitude towards Congress and the conduct of an election in an attempt to overstay in power which is in clear violation of the association’s constitution.
Mr Augustine Appiah is said to have shown utmost disrespect to members of the National Executive Council (NEC) and indeed all teacher trainees’ nationwide.
His actions left teacher trainees’ (delegates) who were attending the 25th Annual Delegates Congress stranded in the Bono region for about 48 hours.
“Due to his actions and inactions, the working relationship between TTAG and our stakeholders has been marred.”
C” the association has been subjected to public ridicule.” The Association said.
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The Reinstatement
Augustine Appiah was reinstated after a tough deliberation at a scheduled Congress at the GNAT Hostel in Kumasi.
The deliberation included Associate Members of the Association, representatives from GNAT and Delegates.
The initial discourse saw a supposed court injunction which was placed on the Asociation by the impeached president of which it was said that the courts have allowed the case to be brought out of court as being intervened by the General Secretary of GNAT, Thomas Musah.
According to a Memorandum of Understanding between the 2019/20 National Executive Council (NEC) Members and the Impeached President as monitored by the courts, the impeached president was to read an apology to Congress in order to be forgiven.
Challenges of the Reinstatement Process
Congress challenged the process, saying it was unconstitutional. The Congress said the impeached president should go through the mandatory constitutional process for c
According to Congress, they were not made to understand the content of the court case, with some criticizing the impeached president’s decision to disrespect all structures of the Association to send the impeachment case to court as being alleged.
According to Congress, the Impeached President should have petitioned Congress for Consideration to be reinstated rather than coming to read an apology to Congress.
Basis for Reinstatement
Congress further challenged the basis for the NEC to sign the supposed MoU.
The NEC was challenged to outline the very basis for the agreement between both parties of which it was indicated that continuing the issue at court was going to involve a lot of financial burden on the Association.
Though the basis for the agreement was not convincing to Congress, it was added, that the Court has frozen the Associations’s Accounts thereby reinstating the impeached president shall allow for the use of the account.
The Congress was also I formed that the process for the impeachment of the President was unconstitutional, citing the need to go through the Judicial Committee before an impeachment as a basis for his reinstatement.
But Congress challenged the statement saying it was not mandatory for the Judicial Committee to be informed before the impeachment of any officeholder according to the Contisitituon of the Association.
How Congress Questioned the Basis for Reinstatement
Though many saw the issues being raised as insignificant to the reinstatement of the impeached president, Congress was worried about the inability of the 2019/20 National Executive Council could look at the supposed issues as a basis for the reinstatement of the impeached president.
Congress further queried, the decision of NEC to accept reinstatement of the Impeached President without recognizing the very purpose of his impeachment as part of the basis for his reinstatement.
Congrees was of the view, that the reinstatement of the impeached president which was his right, was not done in the best manner hence creating doubts in the minds of many present at the Congress.
There was the fear that the reinstatement process shall set a bad precedence for future generations, destroying the integrity of delegates of the December 29020 Congress as well as Members of the 2019/20 NEC.
GNAT Involvement
The General Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Thomas Musah has been very instrumental in the settlement of the case out of court as being indicated by the NEC at Congress.
GNAT was responsible for uniting both parties by bringing the congress to their hostel at Kumasi.
The GNAT Implications
Congress questioned the inability of GNAT to get lawyers for the Association to defend its integrity against a former president who was said to have violated the spirits of the Association’s constitution to send the name of the Association into disrepute.
The Final Reinstatement
The Final reinstatement happened after the NEC met with the Student Representative Council (SRC) Presidents to accept the reinstatement of the impeached president for Congress to successfully close.
The leadership of the SRC Presidents then petitioned Congress to reinstate the impeached president.
The decision of the two representatives of the SRC presidents was very shocking to Congress as the basis for the reinstatement was not clearly stated, a decision that made many to disassociate themselves from the supposed errors being generated by the Congress Proceedings.
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