The Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Teacher Trainees’ Association of Ghana (TTAG) have reached an agreement for newly trained teachers to complete a mandatory one national service.

The newly trained teachers have therefore, been advised by the TTAG, the umbrella body of trained teachers, to register with the National Service Scheme (NSS) and be posted as service personnel to complete a mandatory one year service.

Upon completion, they would be migrated onto the Ghana Education Service salary structure as financial clearance has given to Newly Trained Teachers.

The period for this exercise will be considered as probation and induction periods supervised by the Ghana GES and the National Teaching Council (NTC).

The directive comes at a time where all their persuasive efforts and cries to get the Ministry of Education and the Presidency rescind their decision fell on deaf ears, a statement signed by the President and General Secretary of TTAG, Anthony Dadzie and Ibrahim Nketiah, and released in Accra on November 13, 2018, said.

The government and the newly trained teachers have for the past few months been at loggerheads following a directive by the Ministry of Education to all newly trained teachers to complete a mandatory one year national service.

It is the first time in so many years that newly trained teachers have been directed to complete a mandatory one year national service.

After all persuasive attempts have failed, the Teacher Trainees’ Association say they have no option than to “bank their hopes on the Honourable Minister for Education, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, who confirmed in a meeting with us on Tuesday, 30th October, 2018, at the Ministry of Education that financial clearance has been given to Newly Trained Teachers, and therefore, would be recruited by GES upon completion of the National Service”.

“This in addition to his public comments, we shall hold him accountable should Newly Trained Teachers be denied ‘permanent’ employment”, the statement in part further read.