The President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Angel Carbornu has strongly condemned the government’s decision to deduct 10 percent of the salaries of teachers and staff of senior high schools occupying government bungalows.
Mr. Carbornu argued that the planned deduction is unfair to teachers, given the meagre salaries they receive for their services.
“The mistake we make here is that the accommodation condition rates are not the same and equal across the country. But when it comes to teachers specifically, we need to look at the details and understand the peculiarity of our job and look at the reasons teachers should not be charged for occupying the government bungalows.”
“The teachers living in bungalows in the schools are performing teacher duties. It is these same teachers who take our sons and daughters to hospital, and in doing all these they teach the full complements of their subjects in class. No teacher is employed in the Ghana Education Service to become a housemaster. They are employed to teach subjects. So the house duties they perform are for free, so why do you ask them to pay for accommodation when they are offering these services for free?” Mr. Carbornu asked.
The Ghana Education Service had explained in a letter that the said 10% deduction forms part of government’s efforts to streamline the anomalies with regard to the payment of rent for occupying schools or government bungalows.
“I wish to draw your attention to Ministry of Finance circular No. 133385/05/06NTR CAGD of May 15, 2006, which requires that occupants of government bungalows are expected to pay 10% of their salary as rent,” the GES said in the statement.
However, Mr. Carbounu believes the move is needless, as the expected revenue from deductions will be minimal to support the government’s programmes.
“How many teachers in this country are even in government bungalows. All the bungalows have been sold to private individuals. And how much will government gain from this? It is much ado about nothing.”