The management of the Ghana Education Service (GES) has said it “fully endorses” the 10 per cent deduction from the basic salary of teachers for the payment of rent by those occupying government bungalows.
The GES’ endorsement of the 10 per cent deduction comes on the back of calls by the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) for the former to rescind its decision.
The GES, in a statement issued on Wednesday, 16 March 2022 and signed by its Head, Public Relations Unit, Cassandra Twum Ampofo, said: “In the specific case of Western Region, one of the institutions was queried for charging inadequate rent on staff occupying government bungalows of the school.”
It continued that the “auditors referred to the Ministry of Finance’s circular” dated 16 May 2006, which indicated that “occupants of government bungalows are required to pay “10 per cent of their basic salary as rent.”
Management of the GES, therefore, noted that the “Western Regional Director’s letter on 11th March 2022, was based on the recommendations of the External Auditors and the directives of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament, that GES should charge the appropriate rent on Staff occupying Government bungalows.
“In order to avoid further audit queries which culminate in summons before the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament on the subject, the Director-General has directed all Cost Centre Managers of the Service to be guided by the Ministry of Finance’s Circular and charge the appropriate rent of 10percent on the basic salary of staff who occupy Government bungalows as official accommodation.”
The statement reiterated that it is not the “GES which is imposing the rent or determining how much to be paid but purely being guided by the Ministry of Finance’s Circular and the admonitions of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament.”
It added that management will hold a meeting with the leadership of unions on the concerns raised by GNAT on behalf of the pre-tertiary Education Unions.
The deductions take effect from 1 March 2022.
A letter dated 11 March 2022, circulated to metro, municipal and district directors of education and all heads of Senior High School noted that the move is in line with efforts to streamline rent payment anomalies
Reacting to the directive via a statement issued on Tuesday, 15 March 2022 and signed by its General Secretary Thomas T Musah, GNAT said: “For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to remind the GES of Section 21(i) of the Collective Agreement, 2009 which deals with staff accommodation and states without equivocation that, headmasters, senior housemistresses, principal etc., shall be provided with free residential accommodation…”
“Any attempt to implement this would be resisted fiercely, and the industrial peace we are enjoying on the educational front could be jeopardised,” the statement noted.
GNAT said: “We are, therefore, by this write-up, demanding that the Ghana Education Service withdraw this action or move to ensure serene and conducive teaching and learning in the schools, for the collective benefits all”.
“Anything short of this could be risky and we may not be able to contain it.”
—classfm
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