Teacher union to demonstrate on December 15 over laptop deductions

A teacher union, known as All Teachers Alliance Ghana (ATAG) is set to embark on a demonstration on Wednesday, December 15, 2021.

The protest, according to the group, is to drum home their displeasure over government’s decision to deduct an amount of ¢509 from the teachers’ professional development allowance as payment for the one-teacher one laptop policy.

According to the Union, the deduction is being done at a time when a legal battle seeking to terminate the implementation of the initiative is ongoing.

General Secretary of All Teachers Alliance Ghana, Albert Dadson Amoah, in an interview on Accra-based Citi News said “they [GES] should prepare for us. Teachers are minimizing themselves. We want to use this forum to call on GES once again to immediately refund the GH₵ 509 to teachers.”

“Besides, there are some GES workers who are not teachers, there are the cleaners, cooks, among others. Some earn as little as GH₵ 700 and the government has gone ahead to deduct GH₵ 509 from their salaries. How are these people expected to survive?”

Mr Amoah who believed that teachers have been persistently disrespected stressed that this time around, they will not look on, unconcerned but will protest until their grievances are addressed.

Meanwhile, the Founder of the Innovative Teachers Association Ghana, Stephen Desu said since the matter is pending in court it is unnecessary for ATAG and other teacher unions to embark on a demonstration.

“We will concentrate on the court issue and not waste our time demonstrating. We disagree with the step they intend to take.”

Under the One teacher, One laptop policy, the government required that teachers pay 30 percent of the cost of GHS 1,550 through deductions from their salaries while it paid 70 percent.