Overaged GES Boss Finally Exits Today; Headmasters, Teachers To Throw Party

After weeks of intense lobbying through his loyalists for another extension of contract without success, Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES) in-charge of Management Services (MS), Anthony Boateng, will finally exit the service today, August 16, 2022.

This is after he had attained his retirement age of 60, two years ago, but was given contract extension on different occasions for additional two years; a move which virtually blocked the process of others benefitting from their promotions.

The Anchor’s information is that, the appointing authorities have taken a firm decision not to give any further extension to the exiting Deputy Director-General.

Sources at the GES headquarters have told The Anchor, Anthony Boateng has virtually stopped coming to his office for the past ten days.

In the case of other overaged regional directors also still at post, this paper is learning that a decision has been reached by the Governing Council to replace all such retired officers with new regional directors, in an acting capacity for the interim whiles GES initiates steps to appoint permanent regional directors.

The emerging twist is said to have triggered some celebration among some staff of GES, especially supervisors, district directors, headmasters, teachers among others who have gotten wind of the information and consequently, planning to throw a party.

The Anchor, in an earlier edition reported that the refusal by these retiree directors to go home peacefully to rest, and offer the chance to equally-qualified people to continue – has left many of the staff at various departments and units at GES, extremely frustrated at their post.

According to some staff, those who are not in the good books of these superiors at the top, are sidelined and relegated to the background, whiles those who are not even qualified are given the job.

Sources say these old guards at the GES regional offices in Greater Accra, Central, Ashanti, Volta, Bono, and Northern among others are still at post, because of their links with the Deputy Director-General, Anthony Boateng.

For instance, the likes of Ashanti Regional Director, Madam Mary Owusu Achiaw, the Central Regional director – Martha Owusu Agyemang, the Greater Accra director – Monica Ankra, Volta regional director – Madam Enyonam AfiAmafluga, as well as, Dr.  Attafuah of Northern are all said to be currently occupying spaces, although they are due for retirement.

Interestingly, almost all of these regional directors refusing to go home are female, in exception of the Northern regional director.

In the case of the Bono regional director, Ivy Asantewa Owusu, sources told this paper, she is allegedly not even qualified for the position, but were given the job in an acting capacity, even though there were many qualified persons available.

Similarly, in the Ahafo region The Anchor has learnt, Madam Lucy Ama Ankra, who is the younger sister of Monica Ankra, the Greater Accra director was promoted to the “Director One” status, under strange circumstances. She was said to have been allegedly given the job in an acting capacity at the time she was just a District Director.

However, she was hurriedly promoted after people begin to ask questions over her qualifications.

This development, the paper is informed, is raising tension within the GES, with some threatening to resist the move should government decides to give another extension for the third time.

This paper has gathered that as many as eleven out of the sixteen Regional Directors have also retired but are still at post and enjoying their salaries and allowances.

These regions, according to former President of NAGRAT, Kwame Alorvi include; Ashanti, Central, Greater Accra and Northern among others.

Meanwhile, Mr. Alorvi in an article he wrote on the subject dated Friday, May 20, 2022 mentioned that the morale among GES directors awaiting posting is at rock bottom.

“Morale among Directors awaiting posting is at rock bottom. GES operates with a rule that officials appointed as Headmasters and Directors must be able to serve for four years before retirement. All officials with less than four years prior to retirement are not even considered for interview, much more for promotion. Most of the Directors awaiting posting are in their mid-fifties”, Alorvi said.

According to him, “The effect of keeping retired Directors at post while those promoted wait for over two years is that, when the GES decides to post them, they will not have the minimum of four years to serve before compulsory retirement. GES will, thus, not post them. The GES, which has created the problem by choking the pipeline with retired Directors, will disqualify them. What an injustice!”

Mr. Alorvi mentioned that, “The affected officers will be marking time on their former grade, and be overtaken by younger junior officers, who then become their superiors.  The non-posted Directors will also retire on their former lower grades and go home with lower retirement benefits. This amounts to cheating and it must stop”, he disclosed.

As a result, the former NAGRAT boss said, “The delay in posting has lowered morale among the promoted-but-not-posted officers, and this is negatively affecting their performance”.

More To Come…

Source:Anchorghana.com