The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) has said it
“cannot establish what actually is pursuing Prof. Stephen Adei, be they
spiritual or psychological”, adding that: “One thing we can establish
for sure is that Prof. Adei’s current state is not adequately equipped
to appreciate the enormity of the challenges confronting Ghana’s
education and for that matter teaching and learning”.
The former rector of the Ghana Institute of
Management and Public Administration, (GIMPA), who is now the Chairman
of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) on Thursday, 24
January 2019, told Benjamin Akakpo on the Executive Breakfast Show (EBS)
on Class91.3FM that Ghanaian teachers in public basic schools are “pure
criminals” because “they do not teach” yet take their salaries and send
their children to private schools.
Responding to the educationist, NAGRAT,
said, via a press statement that: “Under normal circumstances, the
association would have treated the statement … with disdain and the
contempt it deserves knowing the track record of his hatred and senile
attacks on Ghanaian teachers in the past, but for the fact that he has
just been appointed as the Chairman of the National Development Planning
Commission (NDPC), which makes him a government appointee and for that
matter a state official who should make public statements taking the
sensitivities of people into considerations”.
Below is the full NAGRAT statement:
The attention of the leadership of the
National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) has been drawn to a
statement made by Prof. Stephen Adei calling “Basic School Teachers as
pure criminals”.
The fault of the Ghanaian teacher per the
thinking of Professor Stephen Adei is that they take the salaries and
send their children to private schools. Under normal circumstances, the
association would have treated the statement of Prof. Stephen Adei with
disdain and the contempt it deserves knowing the track record of his
hatred and senile attacks on Ghanaian teachers in the past, but for the
fact that he has just been appointed as the Chairman of the National
Development Planning Commission (NDPC), which makes him a government
appointee and for that matter a state official who should make public
statements taking the sensitivities of people into considerations.
One major point of worry to us is that Prof.
Stephen Adei was invited to the said programme to give a talk on the
problems confronting the double-track system he advocated. Instead of
confronting the challenges of the double-track programme, he rather
decided to deviate to attack hard-working Ghanaian teachers.
A little education will help Prof. Stephen
Adei to appreciate the fact that teachers serve this country in every
city, town, village and hamlet, sometimes under very strenuous
conditions. These teachers have to deal with the situation of lack of
good drinking water, electricity, no communication, very dilapidated
school environment and hostile communities. In spite of these, the
versatility of the teacher has helped salvage an otherwise bad
situation.
This is not the first time Prof. Stephen
Adei has taken an undeserved swipe at the Ghanaian teacher. He once
called on the government to sack all teachers. He also referred to
teachers as demonic. NAGRAT cannot establish what actually is pursuing
Prof. Stephen Adei, be they spiritual or psychological but one thing we
can establish for sure is that Prof. Adei’s current state is not
adequately equipped to appreciate the enormity of the challenges
confronting Ghana’s Education and for that matter teaching and learning.
As a matter of fact, he is one of the chief
advocates of the double-track system at the senior high schools in Ghana
but does not find it prudent to replicate same for his own school, the
Christian High School near Dodowa.
We call on all Ghanaian teachers to
disregard the tantrums of Prof. Adei and treat his comments and attacks
with the contempt they deserve. NAGRAT hereby calls on the government to
relieve Prof. Stephen Adei of the position of Chairman of the National
Development Planning Commission (NDPC) since his pronouncements and
tantrums offend the sensibilities of hard-working Ghanaian teachers. His
behaviour does not seem to have what it takes to harness our human
energies towards national development.
ERIC CARBONU
(PRESIDENT OF NAGRAT)
We don’t know what “spiritual, psychological” forces are “chasing” Adei – NAGRAT
