Mr. Eric Agbe-Carbonu, the President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), in an official release dated October 21, 2024, has directed all its members to withdraw from all Professional Learning Community (PLC) activities with immediate effect.
News available to Blowgrade.com news has it that the Professional Learning Community (PLC) program activities in Ghanaian schools are “meant to improve Teacher professionalism and to enhance teaching-learning activities. Unfortunately, it has become a means of victimization and stress to the already overburdened Teacher.”
Referring to the backing Labour Law on what teachers deserve, NAGRAT quoted the law and explained it as well in the simplest terms.
“According to section 20 of Act 651, i.e., the Labour Law, “in any undertaking, every worker shall be entitled to leave for not less than 15 working days with full pay in any calendar year of continued service. What this means is that the lowest-ranked public service workers should enjoy not less than 15 working days of leave annually. The number of annual leave days varies according to the rank of the Public Sector worker.”
The release further points finger at GES for not clarifying that aspect of the law to teachers.
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“Unfortunately, the Ghana Education Service (GES) has not clearly come out stating its clear policy on Teachers annual leave hence the assumption that, the holidays are the leave days of the Teacher.”
“Because of lack of clarity, some Heads of Schools, District Directors and Regional Directors have introduced their own local measures to compel Teachers who are on holidays to be present for PLC activities.”
“There are some cases where some Heads of schools without resort to the management of the Ghana Education Service, placed embargo on the salaries of Teachers for failing to participate in PLC activities while on holidays.
Due to the silence on the Statutory leave for teachers as stated in the law, NAGRAT has directed all its members to cease participation in all PLC activities in Ghanaian schools with immediate effect.
“In the light of the above situation, NAGRAT calls on all its members to withdraw immediately from all PLC activities in the schools until such a time that the management of the Ghana Education Service clarifies the situation with clear directives.”
NAGRAT also called on the Director-General, Dr. Eric Nkansah to come out with clear policy on PLC activities and the holiday or rest period of teachers.
“We also call on the Director General to come out with clear policy on PLC activities vis a vis the holiday or rest period of teachers.”
“We call on the Director General to come out with clear policy with regards to Teachers statutory leave as prescribed in law.”
Finally, NAGRAT made it clear that failure to make clarifications on the above will have no option but to embark on industrial action to push home our legitimate demands.
“If the above unacceptable situation persists, we will have no option than to embark on industrial action to push home our legitimate demands.”
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Source: Blowgrade.com