Credible information reaching Ghanaxtra.com indicates that teachers of Winneba Senior High School in the central have declared a sit-down strike.
The strike by the teaching staff which started on Monday, April 29, 2019, is borne out of the headmistress, Mrs. Kwakye Coffie’s decision to circumvent laid-down rules in the sharing of academic intervention funds released by the government.
The decision by the headmistress has created an uneasy calm among the teaching staff as teachers have vowed to fight for the right thing to be done.
Instead of using the approved 60:20:20 method, the headmistress we are reliably informed has opted for a flat rate method which means each teacher will get GHC432 but the arrangement has been rejected by the teachers.
According to some teachers who spoke to this portal on condition of anonymity, the entire staff of the school has resolved not to return to the classroom until Mrs. Kwakye Coffie goes by the directive outlined for the distribution of the money by the Ghana Education Service(GES).
Describing her conduct as odd, the teachers say they cannot fathom why the headmistress will take that singular decision knowing very well that it contravenes the directive by GES.
The Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Professor Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa recently revealed that GHC52.6 million has been released to all public Senior High and Technical institutions in the country.
The amount which according to the GES covers academic intervention(extra classes, group work for students or any activity outside the normal classes hours) will be paid to both teaching and non-teaching staff is to serve as an incentive for extra work.
Per the disbursement guidelines, 80 percent of the total amount will go to the teaching staff, while 20 percent goes to non-teaching staff.
Out of the 80 percent of the total amount allocated to the teaching staff, 60 percent shall serve as the base rate to all teachers in Form one, Form Two and Form Three.
Another 20 percent of the 80 percent should be disbursed to the teachers based on the approval total instruction per week during the intervention programme while the remaining 20 percent should be based on positions.
Efforts to speak to the headmistress for her side of the story has so been unsuccessful
