Comply with GES’ directives to avert interdictions – NAGRAT cautions headteachers

Angel Carbonu, President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), has issued a strong warning to headteachers nationwide to comply with the government’s policy banning the sale of any items to students in schools.

This comes in the wake of the Ghana Education Service (GES) interdicting the headteachers of O’Reilly Senior High School and Ghana Senior High School for alleged unauthorized activities.

Separate interdiction letters dated December 6th and 7th, 2023, were issued by the Regional Education Offices of Greater Accra and Eastern Regions to the respective headteachers.

Nadia Lartechoe Annan of O’Reilly SHS was suspended pending an investigation into unauthorized collection of admission fees, violating the school’s code of conduct. Similarly, Patience Naki Mensah of Ghana Senior High School was interdicted for the unauthorized sale of ceremonial cloth, tracksuits, and other items to incoming Form One students.

On Friday, December 8, the GES interdicted two more headteachers, Mr. Afi Yaw Stephen, Headmaster of Berekum Senior High School and Mr. Joseph Jilinjeh Abudu, Headmaster of Odomaseman Senior High School.

They were both asked to step aside for selling unauthorised items to new students.

In an interview on Eyewitness News on Citi FM, Mr Carbonu emphasized: “Let me caution my colleagues and my senior colleagues if GES under the control of the Ministry of Education is giving out a policy indicating that no school should sell any item to students either within the school premises or outside the school premises, no officer of the Ghana Education Service (GES) should make him or herself a salesman or a saleswoman to sell any item to parents or students.”

He further noted that while the rationale behind selling items might be valid, disregarding GES directives carries significant risk.

“Sometimes the reason these items are supposed to be sold is for very good reasons, mostly in the interest of the students themselves, but if the owner of the job, your employer has directed you not to sell why do you put yourself in harm’s way?

“You will just have to abide by that rule so that the consequences of that rule will be evident to the employer for the employer to rather amend its policy or maintain the policy.”