“We believe that the Teacher Unions should be above politics”
Teachers belonging to the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT), the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), and the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), have written to the Police to notify them of their intention to hit the streets of Accra on October 1, 2024.
According to the teachers, the October 1 demonstration is against the leadership of the three Teacher Unions in the country for using the unions to pursue the political agenda of one of the political parties in Ghana.
Under the banner of “Coalition of Teachers for DMB” the aggrieved teachers say they have “intercepted an alleged publication and audio recordings of a private meeting between some of our union leaders and the John Mahama Campaign team where they were promised various sums of monies and appointments and an amount of one million Ghana cedis released to them to organize a mammoth demonstration in Accra on the 1st of October, 2024 to discredit the NPP government”.
“We believe that the Teacher Unions should be above politics but if the individuals occupying positions in the unions are pursuing the political interest using the unions’ platform, we think it is also time to demonstrate against the unions because the unions must not engage in partisan politics”, the teachers said in their statement to the Accra Police.
According to the teachers, the demonstration starts at Obra Sport, through NAGRAT Secretariat, to GNAT offices and ends at CCT Secretariat.
Read the Teachers’ Statement below:
Address all communications to the National President
Bankers: Ghana Commercial Bank, Adabraka Branch. P. O. Box 1844
Our Ref: CTDMB/001/F1 Accra – Ghana.
Your Ref: ………………………. Date: 20th September, 2024.
THE REGIONAL COMMANDER,
GHANA POLICE SERVICE,
GREATER ACCRA REGION,
ACCRA – GHANA.
Dear Sir,
NOTIFICATION OF INTENDED DEMONSTRATION BY COALITION OF TEACHERS FOR DMB
We are Teachers from GNAT, NAGRAT and CCT and we extend our warmest greetings to your team for working hard to preserve the peace of our dear Ghana and protecting the integrity of the Police Service. We cherish the services you render to our dear Nation but wish to demonstrate on the 1st of October, 2024 against the leadership of the three Teacher Unions in Ghana for using the unions to pursue the political agenda of one of the political parties in Ghana.
Commander, we have intercepted an alleged publication and audio recordings of a private meeting between some of our union leaders and the John Mahama Campaign team where they were promised various sums of monies and appointments and an amount of one million Ghana cedis released to them to organize a mammoth demonstration in Accra on the 1st of October, 2024 to discredit the NPP government.
Sir, although the NPP government isn’t at its best yet due to some circumstances, we believe the gains made in Education is far better and can’t be compared to what we witnessed under the erstwhile John Mahama’s administration. The NPP government has provided better conditions of service and salary increments than the John Mahama administration. We are not interested in this politics but in safeguarding the sanctity of our Teacher unions in Ghana.
We believe that the Teacher Unions should be above politics but if the individuals occupying positions in the unions are pursuing the political interest using the unions’ platform, we think it is also time to demonstrate against the unions because the unions must not engage in partisan politics.
Sir, per the Public Order Act, we are notifying you of this demonstration on the 1st of October, 2024 where we will converge at the Obra spot and move first to the NAGRAT secretariat, then to GNAT and CCT.
We would be grateful if you could provide us with protection and other services to have a successful demonstration.
In peace and fairness, we believe.
Yours faithfully,
Samuel Mainoo Kpetoe
(General Secretary)
0204493112
Story: Kwabena Kyekyeku
