Teachers of St. Johns 1&2 primary school asked to stay home

Effah

June 20, 2016 12:03 PM

Teachers say they want justice done before they will return to the classroom

The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has cautioned teachers of the St. Johns 1&2 primary in New Town in the Greater Accra Region to “stay away from school” until culprits of a mob attack on teachers are brought to book.

A class five pupil of the school was punished by her teacher for misconduct. But she is reported to have rather snubbed the teacher and walked out of the class. She only came back twenty minutes later, with thugs to the school and that was when the attacks on the teacher and the pupils begun.

According to the headmistress of the school the Mrs Grace Richman the thugs who came to the school with broken bottles, canes and other weapons "moved from class to class to assault them”.

The Member of Parliament for the area Henry Quartey gave the assaulted teachers money to go for a medical check-up before the police took their reports.

Though the police have interrogated the pupil and arrested some suspected persons the Association in a statement said they “shall not back down on the call” until “the culprits have been arrested and brought to book”.

The statement which was signed by the Greater Accra Regional Secretary of GNAT Le Roy Levi Me Nara said there have been other instances of assaulting and humiliating teachers in the region. He described such acts as “a disappointment and demoralizing”.

He further questioned the commitment of the Ministry of Education and Ghana Education Service towards the welfare and safety of teachers.

“How more insensitive can the GES and the Ministry of Education be towards the plight of teachers in terms of welfare and safety at their work places?” he quizzed.

He cautioned that the teachers of the school are not forced back to teach since the Association will resist such pressure. “Any attempt to cow them into submission to get back to school when the culprits have not been apprehended will be fiercely resisted with the entire arsenal at our disposal.”

Effah