THERE is no denying the fact that teachers play crucial roles in the socio-economic development of a country. Through the services provided by teachers we are able to bring forth doctors, nurses, engineers, journalists, aeronauts, scientists and many more professionals.
YET, in many parts of Africa, the salaries of teachers are nothing to write home about. In Ghana, for instance, teachers right from the basic through the secondary to the tertiary level have on many occasions embarked on strikes to press home demands for higher wages. And these strikes have most often disrupted the academic work and time table of schools.
AGAIN, teachers suffer needless pressures, such as large class size, created by inadequate infrastructure, for example, inadequate classrooms, and lack of logistics in the form of teaching materials. All these make the teacher an unhappy professional on the job.
THERE was a time when people even believed the teacher’s reward is in Heaven, but today we – and more importantly, teachers – know better, and we should not be surprised they demand what is their right for better life.
EVEN in the face of all the challenges, teachers have not given up but do all they can to serve God and country. And we on Today use this medium to laud our hardworking teachers whose efforts we are able to grow and develop our human resource.
HOWEVER, one problem that has been with this nation for a long time is the reluctance of some of our teachers to go on posting to deprived areas. And their reason for such rejection is the lack of basic infrastructural facilities in those areas. They may have a legitimate concern, however we on Today disagree it should be enough grounds for refusing posting to such areas.
THAT is for the reason Today adds its voice to the advice by Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, asking teachers not to see postings to destitute areas of Ghana as punishment, but rather an honour to serve in those areas. Indeed, he stipulated that teachers would be contributing enormously to shaping the talents of Ghana’s future if they accept posting to areas where the children will otherwise grow up with dormant talents.
IN our estimation, if many of our teachers begin to accept posting to deprived areas they will, in no small way, be contributing to reducing poverty in those areas. While encouraging teachers to go and render services in deprived parts of Ghana, we on Today also call on national administration to provide in those areas basic infrastructure that will motivate many more teachers to go there willingly.
