Kintampo (B/A), Oct. 24, GNA - Teachers at both Kintampo North and South Districts last Tuesday paraded the streets of Kintampo town, wearing red arm and hand bands calling for improved conditions of service and later stormed the GNAT office and destroyed the padlock to the door.
They later bought and fixed a new lock to the door.
Mr. Paul Baffoe-Ansah, Kintampo District GNAT Secretary, expressed regret about the conduct of the teachers who had joined the strike action by their NAGRAT colleagues for better conditions of service. He told the Ghana News Agency that, he was surprised that the teachers went on the demonstration when he had travelled to Sunyani for a meeting, saying he had met and appealed to them the previous day to exercise restraint.
The GNAT Secretary said he had given the teachers the assurance that the GNAT leadership was engaged in negotiations with the government for improved working conditions.
Mr. Baffoe-Ansah said the District GNAT Executives convened the emergency meeting to appeal to teachers in the two districts to go back to the classroom pending the outcome of the negotiations.
Mr Baffoe-Ansah said the teachers had already sent a petition to President Kufuor through the two District Chief Executives in demand for an improvement in their conditions of service.
The teachers, in the petition requested for allowances including transfer grants and for rent, saying teachers on transfer were denied such facilities.
The Kintampo teachers in another petition to the District GNAT Secretary blamed the GNAT leadership "for not showing much concern for their welfare, but rather paying more attention to their personal needs".
They called on the leaders to be transparent in their dealings with teachers about investments made by GNAT, making references to the various hostels and halls constructed by the association in the regional capitals.
Meanwhile, the police are to investigate the destruction of the padlock of the District GNAT office and to maintain peace and understanding among the District GNAT Executives and the teachers.