THE UNHAPPY NEWLY TRAINED TEACHERS AND THE CONFUSED POLICYMAKER(S)

By Nasrullah Ibn Mutawakil

You seem not to understand us very well. When we agitate, you will think it is an influence from others. In 2018, you unveiled a policy that allows trained teachers to wait for two years after completing training in the colleges of education before getting employed. The rule, hitherto its implementation, was not the norm until your unceremonious practice of replacing the old way of doing things.

Somebody, as part of your plans to cut economic cost, trained teachers are required to wait for about two years due to this new rule before they are assigned into GES. This policy is generally interpreted as allowing trainees to first write a license exam and carry out a one-year compulsory national service before getting posted.

While the University graduates are ushered into national service immediately after completion, the trained teachers are required to wait for their results, register for the license exam, and go through curriculum workshop training before they are posted. This in no doubt creates unnecessary tension and delays for these trained teachers who have successfully completed the teacher education program.

This rule is your third major surprise introduction to the system in less than a year without prior notification to the newly trained teachers who are then caught in surprise. Just lately, the 2018 batch of teachers were informed that their service would be terminated in August, to allow the GES to post them in September. Some few weeks after the announcement, comments from GES officials emphasized that your administration which grievously lambasted others when they were in power against the cancellation of the trainees allowance, has worst initiatives than the others.

While both the license exam and national service were challenged by the unhappy trained teachers, your administration failed to notice that such a quick introduction of new rules was a dictator's manner of doing things. Somebody has made a cracking down on all the smoothness in teacher education a hallmark. This he has done after accusing the others of making teacher trainees’ life a hell.

In 2018, the administration made a promise to freshly graduated trainees that after writing the license exam, the government would post them. This promise, so far unfulfilled, was followed by a national service. The newly trained teachers, thinking they would end their service somewhere in November, were glad to hear an announcement by the sector minister and officials at the ministry that, their service was coming to an abrupt end in September to facilitate their employment postings in the said month.

Somebody, it is clear that you are looking for strategies to keep the newly trained teachers at the bay of employment for your own economic reason.  Others counter that you are using series of creative initiatives to unnecessarily delay postings to cover a possible free SHS induced indebtedness.

With this level of political wizardry, the education sector may likely suffer negative symptoms. It has become clear that the Ghanaian teacher is dissatisfied with their working conditions as they have often been disrespected.

You should know by now that, the intrinsic motivation that made the newly trained teacher to join this profession would slip when they are faced with policies where they have to wait for several months to get assigned within GES especially in a country where teacher motivation is virtually non- existent.

Somebody, as we prepare anxiously for 2020, referring to the year that gives our thumb, a voice louder than our mouths. It hasn’t been my intention to make this letter public. In fact, I wish I had made it extremely private and confidential to you.

 However, I have been finding it very difficult to address this letter to a particular somebody. Which is why, I chose the heading above.

For many ardent lovers of stage acts and performances, this heading will strike a chord of imagination, a chord of thoughts and remembrance too. Alas! As in a line of Shakespeare’s works, you will quiz and you shall ponder over the heading as much as you desire, until you arrive at a conclusion that, this heading is similar to what you have heard in the past.

Yes! Your guess is as good as mine. The famous Uncle Ebo Whyte once directed a stage drama titled, “Unhappy wives and confused husbands.”   Utilizing his title in this situation will not fall below par, especially when an individual’s confused thoughts would lead to confused actions which cause another person’s unhappy state.

 What other heading would have been more appropriate?

Sincerely yours,

Nasrullah Ibn Mutawakil,

Teacher Trainees Association of Ghana,

National PRM hopeful.

CATCH THEM YOUNG

Written By

ROMEL OWUSU BAFFOUR

FOSO COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

Richard Dawkins, “my eyes are constantly wide open to the extraordinary fact of existence. Not just human existence, but the existence of life and how this breathtakingly powerful process which is natural selection, has managed to take the very selection, has managed to take very simple facts of Physics and Chemistry and build them up to red wood tree and humans.”

With credit to Nasrullah IBN Matawakil, whose write ups have helped distinct the real “TTAG” from the inflated “TTAG”. The question now remains, what’s next? What is the real “TTAG” doing? How is it receiving its new members? Is there something new or same old way? What measures are been considered before a third and seemingly more powerful “TTAG” shows up?

I acknowledge that from my perspective I may not see far or even reason deep as you may be doing already. Notwithstanding, I wish to cause your eyes to see wide open–opened to the extraordinary facts of life.

An egg will be hatched, fed and grow into a fowl. This fowl now becomes more nutritious and expensive. Since I do not have the funds and resources or even the needed requirement to meet the purchase of that fowl, someone from somewhere now comes to buy it. As a result, I stand a great chance of getting no egg and any fowl even if I have learnt my lessons.

If the real “TTAG” does nothing as soon as possible, there will be no member for TTAG in some years to come. All newly admitted trainees will belong to another “TTAG” because that may appear to provide more shelter like what almost happened. The question is why did you not buy the egg at the cheapest price, hatch it yourself and watch it grow under your arms.

You can ask any newly admitted teacher trainee of any college at all any question about TTAG and watch the shock of your life. I can bet on that! About 90% cannot give any reasonable answer to suit your question. What about the private colleges? A posted national service personnel that completed Jackson College of Education had no idea of TTAG when I was privileged to be in a conversation with him. Are they not teacher trainee? Are they not potential threat to our association when we keep ignoring them?

There is only a little or no information about TTAG out there to be consumed by its supposed TTAG members. It is about time to “CATCH THEM YOUNG” and if that saying is true, they shall be your forever.

MODALITIES FOR 2019 SECTOR’S ELECTION

Written on

Tuesday, 13th August, 2019

The following modalities and those inscribed in the constitution of TTAG shall be used for this year’s election.

1. An aspirant shall buy a form, fill and submit at least 24 hours to the commencement of vetting. In addition, aspirants shall add three (3) copies of their CV, a photocopy of student’s ID card and a recommendation letter.

2. All aspirants shall be vetted.

3. All aspirants shall pay GH₵ 20.00 as a commitment fee upon appearing before the vetting committee.

4. All aspirants shall bring not less than two (2) witnesses to the vetting.

5. An aspirant who has not paid the required nomination fees in full shall not be vetted.

6. All monies paid shall not be refunded in any case.

7. Election shall be won by simple majority.

8. All accredited delegates shall be allowed to vote.

9. An observer shall have no voting right. However, he/she can be voted for.

10. All qualified candidates shall present a working document to the EC.

11. All qualified candidates shall read out their manifesto to the electorates except the PRM, President and Coordinator.

12. The presidential candidates shall have a debate whereas the PRM and Coordinator candidates shall deliver extemporaneous speech on their document presented.

13. All candidates reading manifesto shall be allowed to answer a maximum of six (6) questions.

14. There shall be no voting by proxy.

15. After declaration of vetting results, an aggrieved delegate has the right to petition the EC not later than an hour.

16. All aspirants shall campaign devoid of insults and denigration.

17. The amount for each form is as follows;

• President – GH₵ 300

•  Vice President – GH₵ 250

• Coordinator – GH₵ 250

• Secretary – GH₵ 250

• Vice Secretary – GH₵ 200

• Financial Secretary – GH₵ 250

• Treasurer – GH₵ 200

• Organizer – GH₵ 200

• Vice Organizer – GH₵ 200

• Women Commissioner – GH₵200

• Public Relations Manager – GH₵ 200

18. No aspirant should give false information.

19. Any aspirant who goes against any of the above modalities shall be disqualified.

The EC wishes every aspirant Good Luck.

Joseph Addae

Chairperson

 Electoral Commission

OPEN LETTER TO EDEM; NAMES HAVE REPUTATION

Written By: NASRULLAH IBN MUTAWAKIL 

FOSO COLLEGE OF EDUCATION 

@WEC SECTOR

0540317575

Dear Edem,

My choice of title, ‘’names have reputation’’ should echo a thousand words to you. You may have been thinking you have made a major headline; somewhat, you have done that in the minds of some very few persons who seek to tarnish the image of some previous executives of TTAG. However, your name does not sound to them like Gulliver because you are not the ‘’Man Mountain’’ so they would not consider themselves ‘’Lilliputians’’. Edem, should I come again? Hmmm!
When Nana Konado Agyeman Rawlings described Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo Addo before his ascension to the highest seat of president as a true statesman, an elderly man called me one morning and, while advising me, said ‘’it was so wrong for the former first lady to have described Nana Addo as a great statesman when only few weeks before her declaration, BBC had described her husband as a true statesman in African.’’

Edem, I just spoke in cryptic codes and that of course will need a powerful hacker to decode it meanings. Edem you are wise, I will call you ‘’BRAINIAC’’ as if we were acting some kind of sci-fi movie. Just ponder on the few lines you have read and you will receive some anointing that is to say, I am no crusader returning from the middle ages.

When I first read your open letter, one question came to mind. Are you really a level 100 student? Then I continually praised the role of the current administration TTAG led by Dadzie Anthony for their big role in sensitizing you to the level you find yourself in, today.
When I was in level 100, I barely knew TTAG. It was not until I decided to run as secretary of my college that, I got to know TTAG. Then I got to hear about some obnoxious acts of certain people who once led the association. I am very sure you know more than I know about TTAG but you continually availed yourself for correction. Your humility is somewhat charming and you can win the heart of Margaret the women’s commissioner or Freeman Matilda Makafui the queen of the association but if you by pass, then I will let Isabella Ausei handle you. That lady can spew poetic rhythms that can diffuse even the bombs of Hiroshima.

Anyway, what intrigues most people, is the confidence you had in writing, typing and sending your letter to the editor for publication. You almost appeared to them like Michael Schofield of prison break. That dude did so much background checks to save his brother. In your case, you have been very discerning such that, you did not exclude anyone from the NEC. You rather included everyone especially when you said you had done a background check which revealed that, the former NEC of the association had received huge sums of money from student loan trust fund and still had no evidence of project in our colleges of education.

Edem, pause for a second. I am not witch hunting if my subsequent lines will appear so to you. All I want you to know is many people who spoke with me think you did not write the open letter you sent to the editor for publication. They believe that, ’’when you hear the howling of the hyenas and the next day, your goat is missing, you do not blame anyone’’. In your case, everyone knows the editor for the other journal is a former NEC member and if their perception is true, then the Ghanaian proverb simplifies everything in a line, ‘’the goat rubs it skin on the wall thinking it is making the wall dirty forgetting it is taking some scars in return’’.

The editor could simply have explained the reasons why you do not see projects in your college from TTAG dues considering the fact that, the editor had been  former SRC secretary, sector President and the immediate former national Administrator of the association.

That guy is very revered in the sight of some of us and he knew better. He should have told you that your SRC executives receive some monies called mechanisation meant to be used as project for TTAG in your college but some SRC executives do not use the monies for that. Considering the fact that, the editor  had been a former executive of your college, you could have made that back ground check from him to find out what their mechanisation was used for in your college but you did not.

Edem, your current sector president Selorm has done a lot for your sector. When TTAG weekly journal interviewed him, he told the public about the sensitization he and his executives have been doing. I cannot tell if he had been to your college already but one thing I know for sure is that, he is accessible to everyone and you could have reached him to make the background check on what his predecessors used the huge monies you allege they had claimed for. Your background checks sought to expose the ignorance of the association only when it could have sought knowledge of the association the more.

Anyway, truth be said, I would be lying if I said your suggestion makes no sense. A health fund would do. Wait a minute, did you also say your uncle made you see his payslip? Really when did he begin to do that? Ah well, family ties are strong may ALLAH make it stronger.

Interestingly, you compared TTAG to GNAT. Don’t make that mistake again. The leaders of the teacher unions you see have passed through TTAG before. They could have done that for the association but they didn’t only GOD knows their reasons. Instead, they choose to do it for an upgraded version of TTAG.

Edem, as I make my message short without digging further, I want to share a message with you. Dadzie and his executives are suffering. I joined them as they paid a courtesy call on some leaders, and truth be told, six of the national executives shared one single hotel room simply because they had no monies. The hotel was not up to standard too. For feeding, you could never imagine. These are your leaders who wish to do something great for the association. His leadership had already thought about setting up a health fund. He thought about that, the moment Agboni Nicholas showed a message of a former TTAG member who required some monies for treatment to the former leadership in 2018 at Berekum college of education during an emergency meeting.

Unfortunately, there have been no monies to run his administration yet his administration boast of some key defining moments which I believe you should have congratulated him for. I know you know what I am talking about however, those key defining moments will differ only by your definition of projects. Your open letter has made me understood what project is all about.

 I wish we all could advocate for our sister by asking all colleges to donate a certain amount to support our sister. I will pledge my support to get our sister back on track you should also do.

 But until that, the wee smokers have a saying, ‘’if the there is not there, you can’t force the there to be there.’’
 I wish you well and won’t be expecting your response until we meet again, case closed.

Birthday April....!!!

Written By: NASRULLAH IBN MUTAWAKIL 

FOSO COLLEGE OF EDUCATION 

@WEC SECTOR

0540317575

Dear Adusei,
This year, I wrote this letter for Ekow Djan but out of respect for the accident victims on 22nd March, I choose not to repeat this for Kojo Mensah Success because his stingy attitude could have made him to tell me that, he had donated all his monies to victims of black Friday for treatments.
Adusei, the true reason for this letter, lines in the conclusion. Unfortunately, I have left a clue in the first paragraph of which I am so sure you will want to abide by the old principle which is, "One does not understand unexpressed feelings. So,  I have decided to express myself better in the last paragraph.

Ahaaaa!!! That reminds me, what came into mind when you to wrote the poem below?
Sankɔfa, Sankɔfa is the only word,
As the bird turns it's neck,
So must we turn our faces,
To look upon the past,
The past of Africa that pleased her.
Let us reinstate our pure cultural practices,
And cherish our cultural norms and values.
Let us hail the colours of the kente,
And the strings of beads that ornament us.
This is how we were meant to be,
To be brave and courageous,
To be genuine in culture.
To be proud to be Africans,
Thus defend her great name.
Sankɔfa! Sankɔfa!

Let us reinstate our glorious past.
Was it because you cherished the idea of weaving words together to make them meaningful and pleasing to the ears? Or because you wanted people to know how talented you are?

No, I found the reasons in line 5 of this beautiful poem. I choose to say that you are part of the past of fosco that pleases her. When all remained silent you stood firmly to fight for what was right. In your case, you were not Nelson Mandela or Nkrumah.
You chose to be Elikem DE Prime the one who fought for right with his life and signed the vivid air in his honour.

Adusei, when we first got to school, no one imagined you as tiny as you are to soar higher as you did. I remember the number of times people mistook your confidence as arrogance.

Fortunately, none of them judged your appearance as weakness because you had that fragile look but mentally sharp coupled with strong will.

Adusei, today,  I celebrate a friend. I celebrate that awesome friend who is willing to help a friend succeed. I remember how angry you got when I told you that,  I had pulled out of contest to allow my friend Desmond contest. Charley, even on phone self. I couldn't imagine the actions you would have taken if I was standing in front of you. I call that, wishing success for your friends like it was for yourself.

Adusei, I don't think I should celebrate a friend. Rather, I think I should celebrate a brother. Remember how we laughed heartily on 30th May 2019. As we discussed very emotional issues and then, we realised we wore the same shoes. Man, like gangstas usually say; "shits like that happen you know?"

Brother, we deserve better than what we've got. Just like I told you last night,  I know we aren't far from achieving greatness. In sha ALLAH. As we shed tears over the pains we feel in that shoes,  we should look up in the sky with hopes of anticipation as we patiently wait for the greater works of ALLAH.

Last year, an idealist prayer was simple. She told GoD she knew April was gonna be a good month so she prayed to God for luck and success.Before I say the same prayer for you,  allow me to say that you are a winner you need to cast your mind back at those wonderful things you've done privately for the success of the people around you. Always remember that they will tread insults and lies about you just to tarnish your image but when life gives you lemons, remember you are the finest cocktail maker just prepare lemonades with it.

Adusei, lest I forget,  do you remember the promise you made on 24th March, 2019? Okay, I forgive your memory if you do not remember. It is for that promise that gave me a reason to write this letter. Even though I know know how stingy your pockets are but for your hand di33333 Charley no one can doubt it's generosity.

MAN JUST SEND ME 100 CEDIS THROUGH THIS NUMBER 0540317575 TO CELEBRATE YOUR BIRTHDAY IN MY ROOM.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHAIRMAN MAY GOD CONTINUE TO BLESS YOU. AMEEN

USE OF CANES CAUSED OUR ROAD ACCIDENTS......letter to dadzie

Written By: NASRULLAH IBN MUTAWAKIL 

FOSO COLLEGE OF EDUCATION 

@WEC SECTOR

0540317575

Dear Dadzie,
After your response to my open letter, I believe you have been expecting another letter from me. It was deliberate for me to desist from the habit of writing to you since she walked in my way.  Hanadi as I affectionately called her, had taken every bit of my time as well as my attention, and for that, I could hardly talk about some of the issues in our fraternity as well as our Ghanaian Kingdom.

Fortunately for you but unfortunately for me, she has decided to give me a break and as I steel myself to accept the pain that comes with it, another horrible incident compelled me to write to you.
Dadzie, on 22nd March 2019, I woke up with the excitement of knowing very well that, Kojo Mensah's birthday was going to be lit. Kojo and I planned to party in town that night. What really increased my euphoria was the rainfall that started around 4am at dawn. I called it “showers of blessings,” especially on a Friday which every Muslim regards as the best day in a week. Then, Boom!!! Like the sound of the atomic bomb that landed on Hiroshima, news surfaced all over social media " two VVIP buses crash leaving 50 passengers dead".

Few minutes later, the educated gossipers confirmed the death toll which meant that it was no longer 50 but 70 passengers. The educated gossipers, whose news usually came with Joy, went further to say that it happened on the Tamale to Kintampo road. Then the other clan of gossipers whose radio is made with our finest Odomanko metal called Gold, confirmed it. What really made it extremely sad was how our peaceful village gossipers who usually ended their gossips with Peace shalom authenticated all the gossips.

Dadzie, this is the first time our Orthodox fetish priests and priestess have kept quiet and not  claim to have pre-informed us in our Kingdom. I am very sure I am not the only one thinking it had nothing to do with our gods. On 6th March, when Ghana became 62 years, we poured libation to them before we used that same road as we celebrated Ghana's birthday to strengthen unity in Dagbon Land. I am proud to say that the gods were peaceful, and I am happy everybody knows it’s true.
You will be wondering, who are the everybody? They are the people from the umbrella tribe and elephant tribe. The people you warned members of the talk and chalk fraternity about, so they do not influence your members.

Just when the incident occurred, some elders from the elephant tribe started pointing fingers at some members of the umbrella tribe. They accused the umbrella tribe of not "awarding road construction contracts to competent people".

In an attempt to ward off the blames on the umbrella tribe, the umbrella tribe also accused the elephant tribe of organising a kenkey party at the forecourt of the man in charge of all our shillings and coweries. A party they organised to celebrate a 3-billion-euro bond. How on earth do we celebrate monit's we have gone to borrow? They quizzed.

Dadzie, in situations like this, everybody will have someone to blame. I could blame the administration of VVIP Buses for not recruiting very competent drivers or I could blame the silence of the passengers for not cautioning their drivers when they were speeding or perhaps dozing off Or the manufacturers of the two buses for painting their buses red or I could blame the successive government for their selfish gains that  only helped Dvla employ incompetent employees.

Instead, I choose to blame members of the talk and chalk fraternity. Dadzie growing up, one of the many childhood debates I participated at school was the one we usually wrote in our essays. "teacher and a doctor, who is more important?"

I believe when you are asked such question, you will say a teacher is more important. Your answer will be because teachers taught the so-called gurus in of  societies. If teachers taught the gurus and teachers are therefore seen as the changers of society, then why haven't our gurus changed with positivity? Will we say it's their individual character? No!
Our very old adage has taught us to support a bending plant with a stick to keep it straightened. If for nothing at all, we should know that the big gurus started from the scratch till they got there. We taught them everything from moral to indecency. Imagine a pupil fighting in class and a teacher ignoring them because that teacher had been told not to use canes in class?

Those pupils will grow up one day and would not carry the values of tolerance as well as forgiveness in their heart. That teacher saddens my heart as he made it look like he was clueless and had no alternative in resolving the fight.
When I was a kid, a teacher slapped me because I had insulted a girl in my class. A girl who insulted me first. I reported the teacher to my mother. The next day, my mother came to the school to warn the teacher. She told him not to teach her son how to slap.

Close to two decades now since the teacher’s slap and I have now come to understand why my mother warned him.  You see as teachers, we carry with us the same behavioural traits we want the pupils to learn. These pupils learn these behaviour both consciously and unconsciously. Therefore, should our behaviour fall below the norms of our society, Then, we are unconsciously developing a social havoc. That is why till date, I have decided to come to terms with the idea of No Caning.

Dadzie, as much as we teach our pupils to be tolerant, so should we be. There are many teachers who would flog pupils without showing empathy. They do that because the whitemans Bible says if you spare the rod, we spoil the child. That teacher may have forgotten that God has still not used His canes on him even with the most sins he commit.

Imagine a teacher who cannot show empathy to his pupil? That teacher will unconsciously develop the likes of our elders in the elephant and umbrella tribe. Those elders do not have the kingdom at heart.

All that they know best is to gather around the market square to discuss our issues as if they had empathy. Then later appoint one of their own who is a native doctor to run the affairs of the talk and chalk fraternity. An example is how the King in our Kingdom appointed the concoction maker to lead all wise men.

Dadzie soon, I will go back to Hanadi to talk issues with her. She will insist that I follow her to see her parents. Dadzie her family comes from the Bono region where this incident occurred. Imagine this happened to me while returning from the home of my in law? eeeeiiiiii. Don't say GOD forbid because it could happen to everyone.

25th April, we shall gather for the annual delegates conference. Just advice the members of the talk and chalk fraternity to develop a good habit. Just tell them they can do better in transforming the lifestyles of our future gurus. Tell them if they allow the gurus they once taught to influence their decisions, they will train more insensitive gurus for our kingdom.
Dadzie, least I forget, another accident happened around Mankessim. This was at my door step. Imagine Hanadi had also come to pay a visit to her in-laws and she suffered the same fate as the victims did? Eiiiiii my life would have been ripped off. Charley like what go happen to me errrrrrh.

As much as members of the elephant tribe lived with excitements on that day while the umbrella tribe lived with shame, others will Forever live  their entire lives grieving over their lost ones.

This is why I am asking you to tell your followers to develop a positive mental attitude and teach the pupils empathy so that when they grow,  matters of our  kingdom will be on their hearts.

As I conclude, ask your followers ""IF HOW WE DIED DETERMINED OUR PLACE IN THE HEREAFTER, WHERE WILL VICTIMS OF ACCIDENT GO? IF IT WAS HELL, WONT WE FOCUS ON GROOMING IMPECCABLE ROAD ENGINEERS AND VERY CAUTIOUS DRIVERS AS WELL AS EXCELLENT LEADERS WHO WILL PLACE THEMSELVES IN THE SHOES OF OTHERS?"

Dadzie, Who would be grooming them? if not the members of the talk and chalk fraternity, who else would do this?
GOODBYE.