The Coalition of Aggrieved Teachers on the Rank of Deputy Director is protesting a newly proposed scheme by the Ghana Education Service (GES) that aims to restrict the career advancement of educators.
This proposed policy change by GES stipulates that teacher promotions will depend on the availability of vacancies. The new scheme defines the ranks within Senior High Schools as Director I, Director II, Deputy Director, Assistant Director I, Assistant Director II, and Principal Superintendent.
Newell Anokye Abrefa, the group’s convener, spoke to JoyNews, expressing concern that the “availability of vacancy” clause has led to many teachers being stuck at the Deputy Director rank. The group is also unhappy with provisions that allow non-teachers from the public sector with five years of experience to compete with long-serving teachers for director and head of school positions.
The coalition is calling on the Ghana Education Service and Teacher Unions to address these issues. They argue that the four-year progression interval from Deputy Director to Director II and higher should not impact those who are already Deputy Directors.