General News of Tuesday, 4 April 2017

Source: starrfmonline.com

‘Cruel’ government starving us – Newly trained teachers

File photo: Teacher trainees picket File photo: Teacher trainees picket

The Association of newly trained teachers (NETTAG) has accused government of reneging on its promise of paying them their seven months’ salary arrears and feeding grants.

According to the teachers, the government failed to pay the monies in spite of an assurance by the education minister Mathew Opoku Prempeh.

“At a meeting held between the Minister of Education, Honourable Mathew Opoku Prempeh (MP) and our former union, the Teacher Trainees Association of Ghana (TTAG) held at the Minister’s office, a decision was reached with an assurance that the full payment of our Feeding grant arrears which we were owed and all our 7 months Salary arrears would be honoured at the end of March 2017. We are saddened to report that only 1 month salary was paid us at the end of March.

Again our Feeding grants were not paid at all,” the group said in a statement.

The statement added: “We see Government’s attitude as deceptive and cruel especially when our members have been teaching on empty stomach for the last 8 months. We embraced the promises of the NPP in opposition and worked tirelessly to see it in Government so that our Feeding grant arrears especially, will be paid us.

“As the Government is aware, we have a numerical strength of about 19,000 members and by a copy of this release to the Minister, serving notice of our resolve to abandon the on-going End of Term Examination if immediate steps are not taken to address our concerns”.