TOP STORIES

Tension Escalating At GES Over Deputy Boss

Intense anger and frustration-laden tension, is brewing in the Ghana Education Service (GES) among staff at national, as well as, regional offices, over issues of delay in promotion, favoritism, and alleged victimization, resulting from the continuous stay in office by some directors who are, long ago, due for retirement.

The refusal by these retiree directors to go home peacefully to rest, and offer the chance to other equally-qualified people to continue – has left many of the staff at various departments and units, extremely frustrated at their post, in spite of their promotions.

Following The Anchor’s publication last Friday, the paper’s office has been inundated with phone calls from different jurisdictions of GES, detailing sad and shocking happenings in the service.

The paper is informed that, apart from the current Deputy Director-General in-charge of Management Services (MS), Anthony Boateng, who is 62-years-old but still at post on contract, regional directors believed to be “darling girls and boys” of Mr. Boateng’s, who are due for retirement, are also still at post and allegedly thwarting the progress of others.

According to some staff, those who are not in the good books of superiors at the top, are sidelined and relegated to the background, whiles those who are not even qualified are given the job.

Sources told The Anchor that, these old guards at the GES regional offices in Greater Accra, Central, Ashanti, Volta, Bono, and Northern among others are still at post, because of their links with the Deputy Director-General, Anthony Boateng.

For instance, the likes of Ashanti Regional Director, Madam Mary Owusu Achiaw, the Central Regional director – Martha Owusu Agyemang, the Greater Accra director – Monica Ankra, Volta regional director – Madam EnyonamAfiAmafluga, as well as, Dr.  Attafuah of Northern are all said to be currently occupying spaces, although they are due for retirement.

Interestingly, almost all of these regional directors refusing to go home are female, in exception of the Northern regional director.

In the case of the Bono regional director, Ivy Asantewa Owusu, sources told this paper, she is allegedly not even qualified for the position, but were given the job in an acting capacity, even though there were many qualified persons available.

Similarly, in the Ahafo region The Anchor has learnt, Madam Lucy AmaAnkra, who is the younger sister of Monica Ankra, the Greater Accra director was promoted to the “Director One” status, under strange circumstances. She was said to have been allegedly given the job in an acting capacity at the time she was just a District Director. However, she was hurriedly promoted after people begin to ask questions over her qualifications.

Earlier, The Anchor published that, the Deputy Director-General of GES in-charge of Management Services is set to exit the service on August 16, 2022 after attaining his mandatory age of 60 plus additional two-year contract.

But ahead of the D-day, The Anchor has gathered that people who have benefitted from the 62-year-old’s continuous stay in office are desperately lobbying for additional extension of his contract, instead of allowing him bow out honorably, to allow others to continue.

Sources within the GES as well as Ministry of Education told this paper that Lawyer Boateng was supposed to go on retirement since 2020, but managed to secure one-year contraction extension under former Education Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh.

However, following the assumption of office by the current Education Minister, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, the Deputy Director-General again bulldozed his way through to secured another one more year, which is expected to expire on August 16; two weeks away.

But it appears, some selfish beneficiaries of the man, who has spent several years at the bar as a lawyer, are allegedly not willing to let the man go home quietly.

Insiders told The Anchor that selfish elements enjoying his stay are pulling strings to have Lawyer Boateng stay.

This development, the paper is informed, is raising tension within the GES, with some threatening to resist the move should government decides to give another extension for the third time.

This paper has gathered that as many as eleven out of the sixteen Regional Directors have also retired but are still at post and enjoying their salaries and allowances.

These regions, according to former President of NAGRAT, Kwame Alorvi include; Ashanti, Central, Greater Accra and Northern among others.

Meanwhile, Mr. Alorvi in an article he wrote on the subject dated Friday, May 20, 2022 mentioned that the morale among GES directors awaiting posting is at rock bottom.

“Morale among Directors awaiting posting is at rock bottom. GES operates with a rule that officials appointed as Headmasters and Directors must be able to serve for four years before retirement. All officials with less than four years prior to retirement are not even considered for interview, much more for promotion. Most of the Directors awaiting posting are in their mid-fifties”, Alorvi said.

According to him, “The effect of keeping retired Directors at post while those promoted wait for over two years is that, when the GES decides to post them, they will not have the minimum of four years to serve before compulsory retirement. GES will, thus, not post them. The GES, which has created the problem by choking the pipeline with retired Directors, will disqualify them. What an injustice!”

Mr. Alorvi mentioned that, “The affected officers will be marking time on their former grade, and be overtaken by younger junior officers, who then become their superiors.  The non-posted Directors will also retire on their former lower grades and go home with lower retirement benefits. This amounts to cheating and it must stop”, he disclosed.

As a result, the former NAGRAT boss said, “The delay in posting has lowered morale among the promoted-but-not-posted officers, and this is negatively affecting their performance”.

Solutions

In view of the situation, Mr. Alorvi suggested that the Minister of Education should direct all GES directors who have attained their retirement age but still at post should hand over immediately.

“The Hon. Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum should take immediate steps to direct all those retired Directors at the GES Headquarters, Regional and MM&D Directorates to hand over without any further delay. This will flush out the choked system and allow qualified officials to rise through the professional and administrative ladder”, he said.

He indicated that, “The Teacher Unions- NAGRAT, GNAT, CCT, CHASS, CODE, COHBS- should take special interest in this matter and push for remedy. The welfare of every single member of our unions must be of paramount interest to leadership. The individual teachers involved cannot stand up to this injustice because they will be victimized by the GES Management if they try to do so. Strong leaders stand for themselves, but stronger leaders stand for everyone else. It is late, but there is never a wrong time to do the right thing. The time to stand up for these affected teachers is now”. Alorvi stressed.

More To Come…

Source: Anchorghana

Related Posts