Four teacher unions namely Ghana National Association of Teachers GNAT, National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU) and Coalition of Concerned Teachers Ghana (CCT-GH) say they will resist any attempt by government to decentralise Education under the Local government Ministry either than the Education Ministry. GNAT, NAGRAT, CCT, GH AND TEWU are calling on government to withdraw the Pre-Tertiary Education Bill currently before parliament for broader consultation with teacher unions before it passage. Teacher unions have vowed not to allow the passage of this bill in its current form. If the bill is pass in it current form, it will throw out their condition of service and collective agreement which has already been worked on out of gear. Government and parliament should respect the sovereignty and will of the people they represent. If they think they wiser than the rest and go ahead to pass the bill, government will witness the biggest ever demonstration to have been staged against government. They made this at a press conference organized by the four teacher unions.
Pre-Tertiary Education Bill seeks to put basic education under the management of District Assembly where teachers can no longer be transferred from one district to another. The conditions of service will be determined and paid by the various District Assemblies. Second cycle education will be under the control of Regional Coordinating Council under the leadership of Regional Ministers who are political heads. Government will be appointing various heads and directors of education in the country. Such a policy has been implemented in some other countries such as Europe and Nigeria which has not worked. In Nigeria, they are not able to pay teachers for over eleven months.
