*Former Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Mr. Michael Nsowah Agyei, Must Apologise to Teachers- New Generation Teachers (NeGeT)*
A respected tutor and President of the action group, New Generation Teachers (NeGeT), Mr. Daniel Fenyi, has descended heavily on Mr. Michael Nsowah Agyei for his gross display of ignorance on how the education sector works.
The former Director-General of GES said the closing time for teachers should be 5pm because it is illegal for them to close at 2pm. To him, teachers are part of public servants and must pay heed to a 5pm closing time.
This opinion didn't sit well with the maverick educationist and a section of teachers in Ghana who thinks the former director has trivialised the teaching profession with his ignorance and must come out to apologise.
According to section 33 of the Labour Act, workers are supposed to work for a maximum of 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week. Schools across different parts of Ghana, depending on reigning circumstances open at different times. Some open at 6.30am, 7.00am, 7.30am and 8.00am. Calculating 8 hours from these opening hours, the closing times should be 2.30pm, 3.00pm, 3.30pm and 4.00pm. So, Mr. Nsowah, where from the concept of 8am - 5pm?
Again, it is totally false that teachers "rest" after school. The average Ghanaian teacher is expected to, in every week, write lesson notes, prepare teaching notes, give exercises and mark all, organise tests, etc. All these activities can't be done during teaching hours. Hence, they are done after school. Sometimes, the average teacher sleeps late and wakes up early all about the children's business. The teachers work is not confined to the school compound.
Mr. Daniel Fenyi also said Mr. Nsowah's argument that the 2pm closing time doesn't favour parents and guardians who "are compelled to leave work to go for their children" is empty. This is a shallow reflection of the Ghanaian reality.
To Mr. Daniel Fenyi, this is the Ghanaian reality. Some children walk many miles to go to school. If they close at 5pm, should they walk about 2hours to the house, get home by 7pm, and what time will they eat, do assignments, sleep?
Some children too cross busy streets to reach school? Why should we endanger these innocent children's lives on the streets in the night when vision is literally blur.
Other children have parents who can't afford enough money to cover the child's breakfast and lunch? For these children, closing at 5pm mean they'll stay in school with empty stomachs through lunch. How can effective learning take place on empty stomach?
Mr. Daniel Fenyi called on the educational planners to do broader consultations before any policy is enacted. He emphasised that brains like Mr. Nsowah is a disaster to the education sector and must be treated with utmost contempt.
Signed:
Mr. Daniel Fenyi
President, New Generation Teachers (NeGeT)
*Call +233242937017 for details.*
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