PRESS STATEMENT
FROM: FELIX DZANKU — A CONCERNED GHANAIAN TEACHER & UNION LEADER
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CAN TEACHERS BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY FOR ONCE?
A CALL FOR RESPECT, FAIRNESS, AND THE END OF THE CULTURE OF SILENCE
In a nation where education is the backbone of development, it is heartbreaking that the very architects of knowledge — teachers — remain the most undervalued professionals in our national structure. The silence surrounding the plight of teachers in Ghana has become too loud to ignore. The time has come for us to boldly ask: When will the Ghanaian teacher be taken seriously? When will our voices be heard without fear, suppression, or neglect?
Teachers deserve dignity. Teachers deserve fairness. Teachers deserve proper compensation. Yet, the current reality suggests otherwise.
We live in a country where workers who already receive huge salaries continue to enjoy layers of allowances, as though they live in harsher conditions than the ordinary teacher. Meanwhile, the Ghanaian teacher — whose salary is already small — continues to operate without the basic allowances that should uplift morale, promote growth, and recognize our sacrifices. How do we justify this imbalance? Why should those who earn the least receive the least support?
The recent CPD allowance brouhaha is a clear reflection of the disrespect shown to the teaching fraternity. At what point will the system admit that technical hitches mysteriously never affect the allowances of the political elite, yet always manage to disrupt the payments due to teachers? How long will this pattern continue? How long will teachers be expected to swallow insults packaged as explanations?
It is only the teacher whose allowances must trend on social media before they are released — and sometimes even then, they never come. It is only the teacher whose legitimate entitlement is treated like a national miracle when paid. This must not continue.
As a teacher and a union leader, I stand firmly with my people. Teachers deserve better — not as charity, not as favour, but as a right. If Ghana truly values education, then the teacher cannot continue to be the most burdened, undervalued, and disrespected contributor to national development.
I am calling on government, policymakers, labour institutions, and all relevant stakeholders to take immediate steps to:
- Review the salary structure of teachers to bridge the unfair gap between the ordinary teacher and the highly salaried public worker.
- Introduce and enforce equitable allowances that reflect the teacher’s workload, professional needs, and national contribution.
- End the systemic negligence that consistently delays or compromises payments due to teachers.
- Respect the voice of teachers, eliminate the culture of silence, and build a system where grievances are addressed with urgency and fairness.
Ghana cannot develop beyond the quality and welfare of its teachers. When teachers suffer, the entire nation suffers. When teachers speak, Ghana must listen.
The time for change is now, not tomorrow.
The dignity of the Ghanaian teacher is not negotiable.
SIGNED
Felix Dzanku
A Very Concerned Ghanaian Teacher & Union Leader
Source:Mybrytfmonline.com
