GES/SIC policy suspended over teacher agitations

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The GES/SIC Insurance programme has been suspended, officials at the Ghana Education Service have announced.

This is the second time the policy has been suspended following a sustained opposition by various teacher unions across the country.

Director-General of the Service, Prof. Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa, at a press conference said the policy would resume in September.

“As of 6th August, we have written formally to the Controller and Account-General to suspend the programme for August. We are suspending it for August. Subsequently, we will resume in September,” he said.

Agitations

The policy, which was introduced by the education management body in 2018 meant that ¢10 will be deducted from each teacher’s salary at source.

This left the teachers infuriated. The Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU) demanded the immediate withdrawal of the policy which they say they had not been informed about.

“We call on the management of the GES to stop the illegal deductions for the SIC policy and refund what has already been deducted.

“These wholesale deductions in the name of the GES-SIC must stop in order to maintain industrial harmony,” the General Secretary of TEWU, Mark Dankyira Korankye, said at a press conference in Accra.

The Director-General of the GES, however, says the teachers who are against the programme, have now been given until the end of August to make their decisions known to the GES.

They are to pick, fill and submit a form to opt out of the policy.

Prof. Opoku-Amankwa also disclosed that 34 out of the 252 staff have had their ¢10 per month contributions which was deducted as part of the policy, refunded to them.

“All those who are not interested, we want them to come up and pick a form. After this month, any staff who does not come out to get his or name removed from the list, is deemed to be a member.

“However, at any point in time, if you want to exit, you can exit,” he stated.

New Curriculum Introduced

Meanwhile, 152,000 teachers are undergoing training on standard-based curriculum which is taking effect September academic year.

Prof. Opoku-Amankwa indicated that teachers’ resource packs worth ¢26 million, have been disbursed to all districts in the country to be given to teachers to enable them to teach the new curriculum.

“We will not accept any materials for use in our classrooms unless they are official and have been assessed, approved and recommended by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) for use in schools,” Prof. Opoku-Amakwa indicated.

The new curriculum is being rolled out from kindergarten one to primary six.

Source: Daily Mail GH|J. Ofori DailyMailGh with additional files from myjoyonline.com