Mahama asked to ignore NAGRAT call for GES Deputy DG removal
Kwasi Kwarteng, former spokesperson for the Ministry of Education, has called on President John Dramani Mahama to ignore the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) call to remove Professor Smile Gavua Dzisi as the Deputy Director General of the Ghana Education Service.
In a social media post sighted by Pretertiary.com, the immediate past Public Relations Officer for the Education Ministry said the teacher union has no right to demand the removal of public officers appointed by the President.
Kwasi Kwarteng furthered that the pre-tertiary teacher union leaders to focus on their core responsibilities as a teacher union and leave matters of the removal of public service officials to the appropriate authorities.
“It is not the role of teacher unions to demand the removal of public officers appointed by the President. Union leaders should focus on their core responsibilities and leave such matters to the appropriate authorities,” he stated.
The former Ministry of Education spokesman’s call follows NAGRAT President Angel Carbonu’s demand for President John Dramani Mahama to remove Smile Gavua Dzisi as the Deputy Director General of the Ghana Education Service.
At a news conference, the President of the Teacher Union, Angel Carbonu, indicated that there are better-qualified persons in the Public Service to take up the post than the newly appointed Deputy Director-General of the Service.
Mr Angel Carbonu said NAGRAT is ready to meet His Excellency John Dramani Mahama to discuss appointments into the Ghana Education Service, saying any failure on the part of the government may result in industrial disharmony.
“We want to request an audience with the President on these matters to forestall any upheaval on the labour space,” he demanded.
We call on the government to look within the Ghana Education Service to look within the Public Service and the Civil Service in appointing people to head the various established agencies,” Mr Angel Carbonu said.
He added that, “We also call for the removal of all political appointees who have not risen through the ranks, who have not participated in our services and replace them with men and women who have toiled, sacrificed, risen through the ranks and have proved themselves, to occupy these positions.”
Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of the Civil and Local Government Staff Association (CLOGSAG), Isaac Bampoe, who was present at the news conference, said, CLOGSAG will solidarize with NAGRAT if it declares the strike.
“We will be writing to the Minister of Jobs and Employment that we want to sit down and talk to the President, we know he is a listening President. We want to talk to him, what is happening now is the development of Ghana that is going to suffer,” he warned.
