Upgrade Teachers To Principal Superintendent Rank: GES Petitioned

A teacher has petitioned the Ghana Education Service (GES) on the number of years teachers have to wait before they are finally upgraded to their appropriate grades even after completing approved courses and programmes.

Upgrade Teachers To Principal Superintendent Staus

The petitioner called on GES to upgrade all teachers who have pursued approved courses to the new grade level of Principal Superintendent. According to the petitioner, teachers in this category have to wait for 6 years to get their new grades approved. He cited the 2019 batch who have to wait until 2025 before they would be upgraded. 

Sad to say that teachers pursuing Bachelor’s Degree in the various colleges of education will be placed on the Principal Superintendent grade once they complete their study. However, their colleagues who are already serving will and complete their study 5 to 6 years ago are still not upgraded. 

The current system according to the petitioner is not logical. He further argued that in-service teachers will suffer the same fate because it will take them nearly 5 years of service before they can further their studies to obtain a Bachelor’s degree.

There Ghana Education Service must refine its old rules regarding the years a teacher with a Diploma in Education has to serve before obtaining a degree, cut short the nuances and unexplained reasons that are hindering smooth upgrading of teachers’ already at post.

Read the full petition

Dear GES,

PETITION TO UPGRADE ALL TEACHERS WHO HAVE PURSUED APPROVED COURSES TO PRINCIPAL SUPERINTENDENT

I have read a document purported to have been released by your outfit on the number of years it would take teachers to be deemed qualified for upgrading from SS II or SS I to PS after completing an approved degree programme.

It could be inferred from that document that, it must take a teacher 6 long, stressful years from the year of completion of College of Education to get upgraded to PS irrespective of how earlier the teacher may have completed the degree programme.

For instance, teachers who completed the Colleges of Education in 2019 who, by dint of hard work, subsequently complete their first degree in 2021 will have to wait until 2025 before qualifying to apply for upgrading to the rank of PS. As to the time they finally get upgraded remains in the bosom of the Lord.

Ironically and interestingly, juniors in 3rd year pursuing the Bachelor’s degree in the Colleges of Education would be placed automatically on PS when they are posted, making them rank higher than their seniors currently in the service. This is totally unfair and unacceptable.

The in-service teachers are being treated unfairly because, it is by no fault of theirs to have completed with the diploma. They were just unfortunate that the implementation of the Teacher Education Reforms did not start from their time.

Again, the in-service teachers also had to spend a total of 5 years before acquiring the bachelors degree, relatively longer than their juniors who would spend 4 years in the CoE to get the same degree. This also implies that the amount of fees paid by the in-service teachers is higher than juniors in the CoE. For instance the fees for UCC’s sandwich top up programme has been pegged at GHC 2,000.00 per semester, totalling GHC6,000.00 for the entire duration of the programme.

✍️Isn’t it sad that upon all these stress(on-the-job workload and financial struggles) in pursuit of knowledge to improve upon their professional practice, they are still made to wait for years before being upgraded?

✍️ Aren’t learners still benefiting from the upgrade in the knowledge of these teachers in their classroom practice while they are still being denied it’s associated promotion and upgrading?

✍️Is there any legal basis for making teachers wait for some years before being upgraded even though they have completed an approved programme of study?

✍️Is it okay for juniors to be promoted to PS after completion while seniors who offered the same programmes are directed to wait?

ALSO READ: Appreciating Selfless Services of Teachers and Challenges they Face

It is my suggestion that, every teacher who has completed an approved programme of study is upgraded before the juniors in the CoE are posted to ensure that seniority in the scheme of service remains intact.

Thank you.
Yours faithfully,
Joseph K. Amofah.

The question is will the GES Upgrade Teachers To Principal Superintendent