Vice President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Mr. Jacob Anaba has stressed that the Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Mr. Anthony Boateng should be placed on a consultation position instead of a one-year extension of the office.
“I suggest that he should be placed on the consultant position…because he is one of GES’s experienced workers …no doubt about it… because we will need his service,” he said.
This comes after four teacher unions; Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Coalition of concerned teachers (CCT-GH), Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU), and National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), in a statement appealed to Mr. Anthony to decline the one-year extension of service from the President and the Ministry of Education.
Speaking on OilCity Radio’s morning show, Oman Yi Mu Nsem, Mr. Anaba noted that Mr. Anthony’s one-year extension will deny other people the opportunity to occupy the position.
According to him, the letter from the teacher unions to the government was an appeal to retract its decision on the extension of service for these retired persons.
“When you go into the 1992 constitution with amendments through 1996, article 199 states that when you work till age 60… you should retire. The same article says that if the retiree through his or her expertise is needed…he or she can be on contract for not more than two years, and it is high-level management that is affected by these laws.
“If you notice the letter we wrote …we appealed to Mr. Boateng to reject the extension of service given by the President…because we know he hasn’t breached the law… however, if he acknowledges this position he will blocks the chances of others who need to climb up in their careers and those who need to learn,” he said.
President Akufo-Addo, on August 19, 2022, granted Mr. Boateng a one-year extension of service, effective August 17, 2022, to August 16, 2023.
The request for the post-retirement extension service of Mr. Boateng was made by the Minister for Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum.
Meanwhile, the Education Ministry has defended its decision for the contract extension.
According to the service, Mr. Boateng’s expertise is needed to improve the education sector.
During the period of extension, he will continue his current role and assist in the development of the Ministry’s National Education Institute.