Teacher trainees continue to demand posting after arrest

Some graduate teacher trainees have appealed to government to post them to institutions around the country.

The teachers who claim to be part of the 2018 batch of graduates from diverse teacher training institutions say they are yet to be employed.

Some members of the group were earlier in January 2020 arrested for illegally picketing at the premises of the Ghana Education Service (GES) to demand postings.

In an interview with Citi News, the group narrated the severe hardship the situation has subjected them to.

“When you go there, they’ll tell you that they’re now about to discuss your matter so wait. We have waited for long. Our colleagues are in the classroom teaching with the same qualification as us. So we don’t know the exact reason why we are at home. We are really suffering. Sometimes the pressure is almost unbearable,” a gentleman said.

One lady lamented that: “We are also afraid that a time will come and these same people will come and say that those who are at home didn’t pass their licensing exam. That is why we have come here to plead with the GES that some of us are still home.”

Another gentleman also said, “We are going through a lot of trauma in the house because our parents look at us and think we failed and you just don’t want to tell the truth. Everyone keeps asking why you are still at home. Meanwhile, you have qualified and you have the necessary documents to be posted yet, you are still in the house.”

 

 

Background

On January 9th 2020, some graduate trainee teachers representing over 3,000 teacher trainees picketed at the Ghana Education Service to demand postings.

The teachers who completed the various Colleges of Education in 2018 accused the GES of not posting them despite the completion of their mandatory national service and licensure certification.

Nineteen leaders of the teacher trainees were then arrested by the Ministries Police Command for unlawful picketing at the GES headquarters.

But the court struck out the case after the Ghana Education Service failed to show up as complainants during the alternative dispute resolution meeting.

Meanwhile, the group had earlier lamented that they had still not received any information about the postings.