Ghanaians have been reacting angrily to an allegation that a retired teacher who had taught for forty (40) years of his life is going home with a paltry GHC 13,480 as his end-of-service benefit.
Sixty-one (61) per cent of teachers in the colleges of education do not have the requirement to teach in tertiary institutions- survey
Sixty-one (61) per cent of teachers in the colleges of education do not have the requirement to teach in tertiary institutions- survey
On Sunday, August 14, 2022, social activist and lawyer, Oliver Mawuse Barker-Vormawor, alleged that he had had a conversation with the said retired teacher the previous day, during which he disclosed to him the quantum of his retirement package for the four decades of his service to Ghana.
“Yesterday, I was speaking to someone. A retired teacher, who had been working since 1978.
“He went on retirement three years ago. His retirement package? 13,480 ghana cedis. 40 years of work! It came down to 13,480 cedis. 40 years oo,” he wrote on his Facebook page, triggering fury among his followers at the plight of Ghanaian teachers.
The #FixTheCountry convener, who had said several times that the Ghana army was the most useless institution, changed his position, saying teachers “are the most useless of all”.
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According to him, teachers themselves do not care about the unfair treatment they have been subjected to over the years, although they have what it takes to cause a change in the status quo.
“Yet when Teacher Kwadwo started #FixGES, he received little support from teachers. Young teachers failed to understand that this was their moment for revolution. “Their chance to change their profession forever was let slip.
“Forget the Army, Teachers with their numbers in this country, are the most useless of all,” Barker-Vormawor added.
His post got many Ghanaians reiterating the need to treat teachers better because teaching is not a child’s play.
Meanwhile, one Facebook user, Mma Lami, corroborated the claim by Barker-Vormawor, stating: “My headmistress had 8000 cedis. She worked for 38 years.”
Teachers are some of the poorest paid professionals in Ghana, and even after decades of teaching and shaping everybody to become successful career men and women, they are not appreciated commensurately.
What even makes it absurd is the fact that politicians who serve for as few as four years are paid millions of Ghana cedis as ex-gratia after huge monthly salaries during their tenure, one of which is far more than the retirement package of a teacher who has taught for several decades
