Some members of the Ghana National Association of Teachers in the Central region are currently at warpaths with the Ghana Education Service (GES) over the upgrading of teachers.

The teachers said GES recruits newly qualified teachers and place them on a higher rank while teachers already on the field are told to wait for 7 years before they are upgraded.

The teachers are worried over what they've described as distinctive policy statements on upgrading in GES.

They said that per the conditions of GES, "a teacher is permitted to move from senior Superintendent II rank to at least the Principal Superintendent rank by further studies".

"According to section 19.7 of the GES conditions of service, the Ghana Education Service shall be responsible for the payment of tuition and examination fees of all employees who pursue Distance Education in approved courses and institutions. The same shall apply to certificated teachers who enroll in top-up programmes to qualify in terms of what is required to practice as a professional teacher at any given time," the teachers said.

The aggrieved teachers in a petition signed by the district chairman for Assin South, Rockson Boateng to the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) said "teachers who obtain their 1st Degree certificates between 4 to 5 years after the completion of their Diploma Certificates respectively are eligible for upgrading since tertiary institutions admit Diploma holders on level 300 for a continuation of their programmes."

The teachers in the petition have raised some 9 key questions to the GES on the modalities on the upgrade.

Find the full petition below