Story: Tim Dzamboe, Ho
On February 1, this year the Controller and Accountant General, Mr Christian Sottie, addressed a durbar at Denu for workers drawn from the southern sector of the Volta Region.
It was aimed at explaining the functions of the department as the sole paymaster for government employees in the ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) and to throw light on the modalities for paying salaries, pensions, promotions grants and transfer grants, among others.
It came out clearly that the Controller and Accountant General’s Department was serious with its work contrary to allegations that it deliberately delayed salaries, deleted names from vouchers, and underpaid or overpaid some workers.
But critical to their work was the shortfall in revenue to the state from which workers were paid on monthly basis and that may be the cause of worry to teachers and health workers because it was clear that the large number of staff of the GES, the Ghana Health Service and their respective ministries, was having a heavy toll on government expenditure.
So it became obvious that with the little revenue on hand teacher remuneration were delayed or not paid at all and more so for any teachers who embarked on a strike action like the October 2006 strike by the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT).
These negative attitudes towards teachers continue to re-echo in every sector of life and that called for a serious national consideration to end the frustrations that may eventually cripple the educational system.
On February 14, the problem of non-payment of transfer grants, travel and transport allowances and medical bills, the delay or failure to address distortions in salaries and of late “tax on arrears” and many more grievances, resurfaced in solidarity messages of various educational bodies affiliated to stakeholders in education at a regional directors meeting at Ho.
Also on February 20, the Volta Region branch of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) said at a press conference that their national officers had betrayed them in connection with the proposal not to implement a single spine salary structure contrary to the promise to do so.
The NAGRAT posed a question, ”Where lies the teacher’s reward? Do teachers teach to live or live to teach?” NAGRAT stated that with all the numerous sacrifices, working and giving of their best under tightened belts, the teacher was still worse off.
From the messages that unfolded from the CAGD forum it was clear that the GES had deliberately failed to take the problems of teachers seriously.
This is because, as stated by Mr Sottie, the CAGD could not make inputs in respect of any worker if the accounting personnel of the various ministries, departments and agencies failed to furnish the central system with the necessary information.
So, if a teacher was promoted and a promotion letter was not copied to the accounting section, how then could the CAGD effect payment?
It is also untenable to transfer a staff from a station and refuse to pay such a staff the money he had expended on travelling.
It is a human rights abuse, and teachers in similar situations should consider bringing an action at the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) or at the law courts to seek redress.
The NAGRAT press statement said the three-tier pension scheme adopted by the state should be implemented by the end of March as promised and expressed the hope that “the goal posts will not be shifted again this time”.
Indeed the teacher has been badly treated for far too long and it must be reversed with utmost urgency to save education in the country.
The GES must sit up because the alleged refusal to pay transfer grants and travel and transport claims of teachers does not pertain to other departments.
There is a suspicion that there is a conspiracy between the state and the GES against teachers; and if that is so then it must end now.
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