The Ghana National Association of Teachers has clapped back at the Deputy Minister of Education in charge of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), and member of Parliament for Abuakwa North, Mrs Gifty Twum-Ampofo, for telling Ghanaians to blame teachers for the economic woes of the country.
“Blame Teachers for Ghana’s economic woes, not Finance Minister”- the Dep. Education Minister stated.
GNAT observed that Mrs Twum-Ampofo made the above statement on July 1, the Republic Day, 2023 when speaking at the 175 Anniversary of the Presbyterian College of Education, Akropong Akwapim on the theme: 175 years of Education: Honouring our past, Celebrating the present and Shaping the future.
Reacting to this, GNAT said the statement was not only unfortunate but vicious, irresponsible, and uncalled for, coming from a partner and practitioner of education who is expected to know better, and help find solutions to the myriad of problems and challenges facing teachers and the education enterprise as a whole.
“We find such diatribes and outbursts from people who have climbed higher and found the temperature cooler and clement not remaining there but finding cause to hold people for their failures and shortcomings as demonstrated by the Hon. Deputy Minister of Education in an assemblage of eminent educationists not only caustic but wonder whether she understood and recognized who were to be honoured — past and present educationists,” GNAT stated.
GNAT made it clear to Mrs Twum-Ampofo and her ilk, that it would not sit unconcerned for its teachers to be taken to the cleaners by people in positions of responsibility, adding that,”Our teachers cannot be made scapegoats or guinea pigs by governments for policies they hardly reflect on before implementing, and the earlier vituperation such as made by Hon. Twum-Ampofo stopped, the better it would be for all of us.”
The Association reiterated that no educationist nor teachers sit in cabinet where Ghana’s economy is discussed, adding that the Finance Ministry is not headed by a Teacher and that they are not aware that an educationist or a teacher for that matter, has ever been invited to make a presentation or deliver a paper on the Country’s economic prospects or woes.
GNAT stated that the Association is fed up with these scape-goating and blame games on their teachers.
“Madam Twum-Ampofo must not make us believe that, it is only a bad workman who quarrels with her/his tools, and in some instances, her/his outcomes.
Enough is enough, Madam Twum-Ampofo and we hope you would have the required ears to hear us. Meanwhile we remain your very reliable stakeholder and partner, in the education enterprise,” it added.