In a heart-wrenching turn of events, a female teacher from the 2022 batch of Colleges of Education graduates was captured on video shedding tears as she expressed her distress over the severe hardships she and her fellow teachers are enduring due to ten months of unpaid salaries.
The emotional incident took place during a protest on Monday, 23rd June, as more than 700 newly trained teachers gathered to demonstrate at the headquarters of the Ghana Education Service (GES) in Accra.
The teachers are demanding the prompt issuance of staff identification numbers and the payment of salary arrears that have been owed to them since their deployment in 2023.
Despite sending multiple letters to the GES in an attempt to address their grievances, the teachers allege that their pleas have fallen on deaf ears.
In a widely circulated video on social media, one distraught protester can be seen breaking down in tears as she recounts the financial strain caused by the delayed salaries. She emotionally expressed, “No one can support us anymore because they’ve already done enough. I can’t even pay my rent. Some of our family members are sick, but we can’t afford to care for them. Is it a punishment to be a teacher?”
The teachers are adamant in their demand for the immediate settlement of all outstanding arrears and have issued a warning that failure to comply will lead to further action.
Tensions escalated during the protest when police officers intervened to disperse the crowd, giving a three-minute ultimatum for the teachers to vacate the premises. However, the teachers refused to leave, resulting in their forceful removal from the site.
Despite facing resistance, the group remains resolute in their cause and plans to escalate their protest by submitting a petition to the Ministry of Finance and staging a march to Parliament to attract national attention.
Many of the teachers have pledged to camp out at the GES headquarters until their demands are met, demonstrating their unwavering determination to seek justice for the hardships they have endured.
The plight of these newly trained teachers has sparked outrage and garnered widespread support on social media, with many expressing solidarity with their cause and calling for swift action to address the issue.
